The problem with Labour policies, empowering tenants, is that although they seem socially conscious, the effect is that they make letting property even less attractive.

This means more empty investment properties – which describes huge swathes of West London .. And the reason they're either empty or substandard is because yields are so low .. It's just not worth a 2% return – often before tax and an estate agent cut (if they're managing) – plus the obligation to fix boilers, plumbing, chasing up unpaid rent, evictions, finding the copper pipes ripped out the walls..

So build more houses to lower property prices? Well 100,000's a drop in the ocean – and there are already many times more than that empty, but in the wrong locations .. It wouldn't win votes, but the best thing would probably be to gives landlords a tax break, because that would open up the rental market

Maybe there are 2 property markets London and the rest. Our Central London flat is easy to let out but normally to overseas people 50: 50 EU /rest of World. But selling has softened in Westminster by some 10%+ in past 2 years - probably due to fewer international professionals coming to the finance and banking centres in London as their companies are setting up off shoots in EU to keep EU access after BREXIT. Of course large capital gains makes it difficult to sell anyway and need to take our holidays in London in the future as the tax take keeps rising for Landlords. In Edinburgh and perhaps many other University Cities - hundreds if not thousands of 1/2 bed blocks of flats are springing up everywhere - amazing and sales of Georgian homes are back to Overs Over prices (which means 10% or more extra) whereas 3-5 years ago it was fixed price or offers around.


With large department store buildings going for a song and now Debenhams heading smaller I worry about Real Estate Investing of any kind - shopping centres or going to the bank or insurance company personally is reducing because of online, video conferencing etc.

Next big over supply will be cheaply built and expensive to maintain new student flats and empty insurance/banking complexes.

The sensible alternative would be to tax these zombie investment properties out of existence. Making it far more expensive to hold an empty investment property would force sales and lower prices, which would be in the public interest. (The same applies to land banking by builders.)