Why Landlords Are Fleeing The UK Market | IEA Podcast

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Communications Director Callum Price is joined by Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz and Managing Editor Daniel Freeman. The conversation covers the newly enacted Renters Rights Act, examining how the legislation effectively introduces rent control through the back door and will likely reduce the supply of private rental properties. They discuss the end of fixed-term contracts, the tribunal system for rent disputes, and how these measures could drive landlords out of the market, reducing labour mobility and worsening housing availability for young professionals.

The discussion then turns to wealth taxes and the broader economic landscape, with Kristian explaining why wealth taxes are fundamentally flawed, comparing them to “eating your seed corn” - consuming capital that should be generating future returns. They examine how capital flight has already occurred in countries like France, Norway and Switzerland, and why the UK’s economic stagnation makes politicians reach for fantasy solutions rather than addressing the real problem of economic growth. The team also discusses the IEA’s “Sharpen the Axe” series, which identifies concrete areas where government spending could be cut.

The conversation concludes with an analysis of the government’s fiscal position ahead of the upcoming budget, looking at why promised tax rises keep recurring despite claims each budget will be the last. They explore Labour’s abandonment of planning reform and abundance agenda, the shelving of disability benefit reforms, and why Britain seems stuck in a doom loop of stagnant growth, rising demands on the state, and political unwillingness to make meaningful cuts to government spending.

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