A State-backed national estate agency could be launched by a Corbyn government.
The proposed policy was first mooted in the Guardian by columnist Owen Jones, and has now received attention in an article in the June issue of Socialist Party.
Jones had argued that a Corbyn government should “pick fights with unpopular vested interests”.
Jones said: “Estate agents are justifiably bogeymen for Generation Rent: why not set up a national, state-backed estate agency that works on a not-for-profit basis purely to help tenants?”
He also proposed that a new Labour government should scrap knighthoods and abolish private schools.
The Socialist Party article goes further, saying these are “just more policy proposals” and not radical enough.
The publication – which used to be called Militant – argues that Corbyn should change “the lived experience” of today’s workers.
We are, of course, sorry to have to tell our readers that you and EYE could all be out of a job come the revolution – sorry, general election.
Still, that’s disruption for you – and speaking of disruption, do you think it will be a pay upfront model?
At least Labour won’t be short of any number of ex-housing ministers to run it. Our money’s on Yvette.
Comments (31)
Perhaps they will Nationalise the failing callcentre/lister sector and bailout all those poor investors 😉 ?
“Not for profit” doesn’t not translate in ”Governenglish” to mean “FREE”. (See TFL as an example).
It would however allow prospective tenants and landlords the opportunity to stay on hold and listen to the choices available to them:
Key 1 for Department of Lettings
Key 2 for Department of References
Key 3 for Department of Inventories
Key 4 for Department of Deposits
Key 5 for Department of Right To Rent
Key 6 for Department of Viewings
(Please note that in order to comply with Governments drive for luxury Communism, workplace satisfaction, Twitter stress disorder and irritable Instagram syndrome our valued employees are not available for viewings before 11am or after 4pm on weekdays. Weekend or evening viewings are not possible to avoid breaching “The 2020 Ten Hour Working Week Act”. It should also be noted that all applicants must be accompanied by a chaperone and viewings will not be possible if it is raining or the shade temperature drops below 8C.
Key 7 for singing versions of all the above.
Full terms and conditions are available are available on our website http://www.leftmove.com as are promotional tee shirts and mugs illustrating our key service logo “LEFT MOVE PUTS THINGS RIGHT”
Landlords should note that for data protection reasons this department cannot assist with any tenant failures to pay rent.
And the beat goes on.
A winning slogan “Left Move Puts Things Right ”
I’m still laughing at this comment, nice one
NEWSFLASH!
Corbyn confirms New Government Estate Agency to launch, named
“CLOUD CUCKOO ESTATE AGENTS”
Think council houses …. Think housing associations …….. Not new news!
the problem people like Mr Jones face is how to allocate a shortage of stock to an excess of demand.
There are naturally people who lead and naturally people who follow, some people work harder than others, some people work less hard.
If Mr Jones has 2 flats available but 3 prospective tenants, two are working, the other not. Mr Jones is responsible for keeping to properties up to a habitable standards. Which two tenants get a tenancy? What happens to the third?
Mr Owen feels he would like to provide accommodation for the 3rd tenant does he; not bother or put the rent up a bit for the other 2 so he can finance a 3rd property or does he pay an organisation to collect tax from him to give it to someone else to provide accommodation for the 3rd tenant? Because there is quite a lot of additional administration and no actual incentive to spend the money efficiently or effectively the amount of accommodation provided is less than he could provide if he was allowed to and encouraged to, what would Mr Owen consider the most sensible option?
There is a practical side to socialism that has to allow those capable of providing solutions the room and incentive to do so otherwise we end up with a lot of well intentioned, well paid, administration but no-one to pick the money off the money tree, we also have the social agitators who earn their money and their kicks reporting the injustice of it all.
I am happy to pay taxes, including housing costs, which support those incapable of supporting themselves, not those who are merely unwilling to work or who work hard to master the system better than those who administer it.
Over the generations we have evolved a reasonably fair way of incentivising, rewarding and taxing those who do or are capable of doing more than other to provide for those who aren’t or don’t, Mr Corbyn and Mr Owen would like a fairer system so that once people have been successful they don’t have more benefits or wealth than anyone else.
Mr Corbyn and Mr Owen are employed to represent the interests of those who have less despite them having considerably more.
Quiet news day? Something Owen Jones said should be policy, that isn’t, and hasn’t been discussed to be, but we could suggest it is. Surely the very definition of fake news?
Equal poverty for all. Given their performance in the recent elections against this shambles of a Tory government there is no chance of the mad Marxists ever getting in.
so landlords give control of their rental property to a tenant focused letting agent -lol
They would ‘ requisition ‘ them from the Private sector !
Is it a house or a flat?
We have not made a firm policy decision on that.
Is it a house or a flat?
We will be convening a special meeting of the Executive to discuss the matter.
Is it a house or a flat
We have made it perfectly clear that we are not clear on where we stand on this issue.
IS IT A BL**DY HOUSE OR A BL**DY FLAT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!?
Jeremy hasn’t decided yet.
Oh dear, imagaine how difficult it would be for them to decide the difference between a flat and a maisonette!
What a sobering article. Terrifying prospect.
An estate agency to help tenants. Should that read as letting agency or is the proposal to help tenants buy?
Compulsory purchase of all private dwellings by the state? Then everyone would be a tenant (and a comrade)
No chance Labour will win a new election.
After the Brexit debacle only Lib Dems are worth votong for anyway – never thought I’d say that.
Given the mess we are in the Brexit party are the only party worth voting for, anyone else and we’ll be in even more of a mess.
I seem to recall that one of the London boroughs set up a not-for-profit agency – and spent a small fortune trying to run it. Westminster, I think.
were they not fine as well? (for not displaying fees or something like that)
Ah yes, fined by the same council that own them. Have rather high fees to tenants as well, I believe.
“Tell me comrade, is there enough space for me to park our collectives tractor?”
Love to see Diane Abbott with a set of keys trying to get into a property, Could be a new reality show.
Owner jones is a moron
Where would the get their stock from? I am not sure many landlords would be silly enough to trust a labour government. That is assuming there is sufficient stock once the cons have scared off landlords with s21 ban giving unlimited security of tenure to tenants.
They would ‘ requisition ‘ them from the Private sector !
I fear you are right, they are half way there already.
I’m confused here, dont we already effectively have a state back agency set up to help tenants….its called social housing? Owen Jones isnt a dim chap but like most people misunderstands who an estate agent acts for.
Owen Jones is well known for his extreme Marxist ideas which are given serious consieration by the Labour leadership. Whatever line of work you’re in, if Labour win the next election we’ll all be going to hell in a handcart. Jones is the sort of man who’d machine gun the middle and professional classes in their own beds if he had the chance.
I can imagine the budget now. Were having to introduce a rightmove tax to cover the bill that went up 30% this year