Ed Miliband is electoral “kryptonite” for landlords with 56pc backing Cameron
Ed Miliband's popularity among the general public may be low, but his ratings among the nation's landlords are positively subterranean, new research suggests.
Landlord website Rentify found that of the 2m landlords in Britain, just 19 per cent are supporting Labour. Miliband's personal approval rating among this group is a woeful 16 per cent. The Tories, on the other hand, enjoy the support of 45 per cent of landlords.
More than half of those surveyed had a positive view of David Cameron. Turning the focus to London, the research showed the Conservatives enjoying even more support among landlords at 56 per cent – 11 percentage points higher than the national average.
One respondent even went so far as to say Ed Miliband was electoral "kryptonite". London landlords are particularly dismissive of Ukip and the Lib Dems, with the parties recording just five and seven per cent support respectively.
“Labour has been hugely vocal on housing policy in the build-up to the election, but these results suggest they may have gone down the wrong path,” said Rentify chief executive George Spencer.
If he wins the election, Ed Miliband promises he will cap rent increases. A future Labour government would introduce regulations allowing landlords to set rent levels at the outset of the tenancy, but restricting from raising them during a tenancy.
The default length of the tenancy agreement would be set to three years, and estate agents would be banned from charging upfront letting fees. The proposals have been labelled a variation of "second-generation rent controls".