Petitions Call for Fairer Charges and Tax Relief

An online petition in Parliament calling for a new body to regulate service charges on rented homes is waiting for a government response after collecting more than 10,000 signatures.

The petition wants the body to monitor service charges set by private landlords, councils and housing associations to ensure tenants' bills are fair.

Many property owners are accused of inflating service charges and forcing tenants to pay sky-high bills for services and repairs that could be found cheaper elsewhere.

Housing lawyer and campaigner Suzanne Muna started the petition in January and has hit 10,465 signatures - a level the government promised to deliver a written response.

Call for new regulator

She says: "We want the government to create a new body empowered to monitor and regulate private, council, and housing association service charges, and impose meaningful penalties for unfair, inaccurate, and unreasonable service charges.

"It should provide free support to people to challenge charges."

MP Caroline Voaden has also led a linked Westminster Hall debate on residential estate management companies (REMCS), dubbing them 'fleeceholds' thanks to their poor treatment of leaseholders.

She urges Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to swiftly bring new legislation to abolish leaseholds.

A third petition with 1,376 signatures wants to cap 'extortionate' service charges by closely regulating property management companies.

The petition explains: "Currently, charges should be "reasonable", which we feel is open to interpretation. With current cost of living pressures, many people might not be able to fund the fees that management companies are charging. We feel the charges are often nonsensical. If people could retain these funds they might use it in a more beneficial way to support the country's economy."

Petition wants mortgage interest relief brought back

Meanwhile, a separate petition posted by lawyer Fedon Kazantzis wants the government to reverse restrictions on claiming mortgage interest relief for landlords.

He argues that allowing landlords to offset mortgage interest against profits would help landlords reinvest in buy-to-let homes and make rents more affordable.

So far, the petition has garnered 891 signatures since February.

The petition says: "We believe landlords provide an important service. This unfair tax has caused many to leave the sector, resulting in a shortage of rental properties, increased rents and homelessness.

"We believe it has resulted in dire circumstances similar to what we think happened in Ireland following a similar policy in 2009, which restricted landlords from claiming tax relief on their mortgage interest."

Sign the petition

Other open petitions for landlords and property investors on the government's petition website include:

• Revoke The Selective Licensing of Houses (Additional Conditions) Order 2015 (291 signatures)
• Establishment of Minimum Standards for Student Housing (102 signatures)
• Reduce stamp duty for additional property & reinstate multiple dwellings relief (542 signatures)
• Require rent increases to be based on inflation and salaries, freeze for 3 years (48 signatures)
• Make it a legal requirement for all landlords to hold valid buildings insurance (43 signatures)
• Review the affordability of the rental market (42 signatures)
• Review and strengthen enforcement of housing and equality laws in rental sector (20 signatures)