Rent controls - the destructive politics of envy.

Drive them away in the sense that they start to sell their properties? I can see no problem with that, it would be good for the majority of people (not me personally) if house prices fall, more properties on the market might help in that respect.

if house prices fall, more properties on the market might help in that respect.

No one is prepared to lend in a falling market. And no houses get built either until the situation starts to reverse.

Falling house prices are a disaster for everyone concerned.

We had a fall in house prices after the financial crisis. How many people did that help? It just sent deposits through the roof.

Negative equity hardly a winner

If you don't have that much then it's politics of envy. If you are doing alright then you're a champagne socialist. So nobody is allowed an opinion on certain policies without being shouted down.

No ones allowed to shout anymore regardless

There seems no positive case to be made for introducing rent controls which wouldn't result in far fewer houses available in the long run.

Is this the rent boy fred?

I agree Rent controls are crazy.

Far better to drive down rents by building good council houses. Getting people off benefits to build them. Stop this ludicrous Income Support or whatever it is called that allows people to work less than 16 hours a week so they get their rent paid andtheir boyfriends live in the house on the QT!

Canada, Germany and the USA are among countries with rent control.  Jeering (I assume that's what you meant) and laughing at landlords has not shown any significant variation.  Trump being the primary example.

Jeering (I assume that's what you meant) and laughing at landlords has not shown any significant variation.  Trump being the primary example.

I couldn't make any sense out of that.

Trump Derangement Syndrome?

The UK isn't Canada Germany or the USA.
Neither is it any of the countries that haven't got rent controls which you didn't mentioned.

They've got their situations and we've got ours.
Such as home ownership which was higher in the UK than any of the countries you mentioned in 2004. Do you suggest we go further down the road to more renting like they do?

And what about health, should we abandon the NHS and replace that with the American health system?
I think I've made my point.

Our system is unique to us. The dream of a property owning democracy is dimming. Property like every other commodity will be mving to the hands of the rich. Incidentally the rich did not like the new BTL class getting rich and have made appropriate tax reforms. We the many should also make significant tax reforms on land.

We need to build more houses. We dont need schemes to sell over priced houses with huge mortgages to people who cannot afford them just so Home Builders can sell their over priced homes!

There are a lot of votes in rent control, as renters think they will be winners getting lower rents. However, there will be at least as many losers who can't get a rent controlled property and are forced to compete for non-rent controlled properties. Look at New York where rent controlled properties hardly ever come onto the market, and when they do hundreds of people turn up to try and rent them.