Recent coverage of the rental market often portrays landlords as shadowy figures wielding quiet power, but the reality is often more ordinary — and more complicated. Two landlords have written to share their perspectives, arguing that the system is failing both tenants and the small landlords who house them.
An Accidental Landlord's Story
Nick Vernoum of Yeovil, Somerset, describes himself as an "accidental landlord." In his 40s, after working long hours to buy a modest home, he became seriously ill with chronic fatigue and had to move back in with his parents. Letting his house wasn't about exploitation; it was about survival — covering a mortgage he could no longer sustain through work.
Over time, he reinvested carefully and now owns a small number of properties. The income isn't lavish; it has supported his parents and given him a chance to rebuild his life. He knows his tenants well, allows them to contact him any time, and sorts problems quickly. He would far rather they were able to buy homes of their own. They are hard-working people in the NHS and the care sector, but the barriers to getting a mortgage remain high.
What's missing from the debate, says Vernoum, is that landlords are also being squeezed. Mortgage rates rose sharply after the turmoil under Liz Truss's government, while maintenance, regulation and tax costs continue to climb. Many small landlords are exiting because the numbers no longer work. The uncomfortable truth is that when landlords sell, tenants lose homes. This isn't a story of villains and victims, but a housing system under strain, failing tenants and the small landlords who house them.
A Landlord Who Lives in His Flats
John Farquhar of St Boswells, Scottish Borders, writes that he and his wife rent out two flats that they refurbished and maintain to a standard they would be content to live with. In fact they sometimes live in their flats between tenancies, just to make sure they are happy with them. They believe they are providing comfortable, safe, secure homes for tenants. Their rents remain static during tenancies, or else increase only minimally.
There are many landlords like them, says Farquhar. But if you read coverage of the topic by the Guardian, you'd think they all had horns and tails, and ate small children for breakfast. He asks for balance in reporting, urging the paper to expose the bad landlords — whose behaviour disgusts them too — but to stop demonising honest, decent people.
These letters highlight the complexity of the rental market, where both tenants and small landlords face significant pressures. The housing system, they argue, is under strain and in need of thoughtful solutions that address the needs of all parties involved.
