You couldn’t make this up, it’s so ridiculous but apparently someone has!
The Green Party is set to debate a motion at its conference calling for the “effective abolition of private landlordism”. The proposal marks a dramatic shift from previous calls to build more council housing and strengthen tenants’ rights. This time, the Greens want to go much further — and landlords should take note, even if the party itself is far from power.
While the idea of abolishing landlords might seem fringe today, elements of it could easily filter into mainstream politics tomorrow, particularly as pressure builds to “fix” the rental market.
What the Motion Proposes
The motion sets out five key measures:
- Rent controls and scrapping Right to Buy.
- Taxing landlords via business rates on Airbnbs and doubling tax on empty homes.
- Ending buy-to-let mortgages.
- Giving councils the right to buy properties when landlords sell, if they don’t meet insulation standards, or if they’ve been empty for six months.
- Establishing a state-owned housing manufacturer to mass-produce council homes for local authorities.
If passed, this would become Green Party policy. While the leadership could tweak the language, the intent is clear: phase out private landlords and replace them with a government-run, council-housing-dominated rental sector.
Why Landlords Shouldn’t Dismiss This Lightly
Some landlords may be tempted to shrug this off. After all, the Greens currently hold just one MP and are unlikely to form a government any time soon. But as several commentators on Paul Shamplina’s Facebook post point out, Section 24 started life as a Green policy before being adopted by the Conservatives — a policy that has since reshaped landlord taxation and profitability and started a trend in landlord bashing that has already led to tens of thousands of landlords quitting the PRS.
The Scale of What They’re Proposing
The private rented sector currently provides homes for over 4.5 million households in England alone. Replacing that stock would require a massive expansion of publicly owned housing, equivalent to building hundreds of thousands of homes each year for at least a decade.
Even modest council homes cost in the region of £180,000–£250,000 each to build (including land and infrastructure). Replacing 4.5 million PRS homes could therefore cost upwards of £800 billion–£1 trillion, not including ongoing maintenance or the cost of acquiring existing properties from landlords.
And then there’s the question of time. Even with modern methods of construction, the UK has struggled to build 300,000 homes a year — and hasn’t achieved that figure once in decades. Delivering millions of new publicly owned homes would take many years, during which millions of households would need somewhere to live.
Removing private landlords without a viable replacement would deepen the housing crisis overnight.
Affordable Ownership at Risk
Another unintended consequence would be the shrinking of homes available for first-time buyers. If properties currently let out privately are diverted straight into council ownership, fewer will reach the open market, further tightening supply. Ironically, this could push house prices up for aspiring homeowners — the exact opposite of what “Generation Rent” has been promised.
Is This Really a Practical Plan?
The sheer scale and cost suggest this policy is not designed as a realistic housing strategy. More likely, it’s political positioning — tapping into the landlord-bashing sentiment popular among younger voters frustrated with high rents and limited housing options.
In other words, this may be more about winning votes than building homes and is a worrying trend landlords have already had to endure for years. As more parties jump on the bandwagon, are landlords in for even more bashing?
Part of a Wider Pattern
This proposal is not happening in isolation. It follows years of incremental policies targeting landlords — from Section 24 to licensing schemes, EPC upgrades, eviction reform and looming rent controls. Each step makes letting less profitable and more regulated, prompting thousands of landlords to already have left the sector.
As rental supply tightens, tenants are forced to compete for fewer properties, driving rents higher. And the more the housing crisis worsens, the more politicians are tempted to offer extreme solutions.
A Warning to Landlords
For landlords worried about the future, this should be a wake-up call. As the Renters’ Rights Bill progresses, with stronger compensation claims and tougher standards on the horizon, as well as minimum EPC standards still to bite after that; the environment for landlords is only getting harder.
If you’re already considering exiting the sector, now may be the sensible time to act — before policies that sound radical today become reality tomorrow.
Prepare for tomorrow. Start the conversation today. Know your exit route.
Find out how you can escape the blame game and enjoy your hard earned profits while you still can.