"Very little effort on the part of the owner" Really? Do you know how much financial risk is involved? Do you know any landlords? I doubt they would agree it is easy and would have shared horror stories with tenants or the hard work and hassle involved.

What about people owning multiple properties for their retirement? Do you have an issue with that?

Just because you have no aspiration, doesn't mean nobody else should.

I speak to people in their 30s and they complain they cannot get on the housing ladder but made no effort to save any money in their 20s and expect a deposit to magically appear out of nowhere, but doesn't arrive and it's the market's fault!

Edited by Penge Eagle (05 Feb 2016 8.11pm)

1. I know 3. None of them have taken 'a risk' due to their mortgage being paid. Get it?

2. When it's at the expense of others trying to make a future for themselves then yes, i do. Don't you?

3. You know nothing about me.

As for your last paragraph, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Edit: Despite making yourself look like a tool, you've made a friend in 'Tom'. Good work

Edited by -TUX- (05 Feb 2016 8.33pm)

1. I know 3. None of them have taken 'a risk' due to their mortgage being paid. Get it?

2. When it's at the expense of others trying to make a future for themselves then yes, i do. Don't you?

3. You know nothing about me.

As for your last paragraph, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Edit: Despite making yourself look like a tool, you've made a friend in 'Tom'. Good work

Edited by -TUX- (05 Feb 2016 8.33pm)

I have noticed an amazing amount of suitable building land all over London. I have absolutely no idea why it doesn't get used, often it's just abandoned buildings with shrubs growing out of them. Truly I don't believe we have to build on green field site, it's just easier.

Having had a job preventing Sri Lanka from flooding - involving trying to control building in flood plains - it is clear that has to be managed very tightly. It can be done but you need better dredging, allocated run-off sites etc. But I don't see why London can't grow upwards rather than outwards.

The problem is it is a small fraction of the of extra demand on pressure, it's like blaming Geoff Thomas penalty miss at Anfield for the 9-0. Using the census link you provided average house size has dropped from 2.4 to 2.3, so living in the filthy over crowded conditions we had in the dark dim early 2000s would would cover an additional 2.7m population.

Of the net migration only a third come from EU in the last ten years, although that proportion is growing and was just under half last year. The majority of migrants are from 'controlled' migration not open border Europe.

The right it has never has true debate about Europe and migration, the conservative Parlimentary party understand it is needed, good for business and the economy but know this is a difficult sell to the general conservative voters.

Out of interest, why don't you become a landlord if there's "very little effort on the part of the owner", no financial "risk" and you get the mortgage paid by tenants?

To imply that the buy to let sector is significantly responsible for the housing crisis is rubbish as the figures show...

The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit said just 7% out of a total increase in house prices of 150% between 1996 and 2007 was due to increased lending to landlords. The broad consensus among economists is still that rising incomes, lower interest rates, a growing population, and the wider increase in credit availability more readily explains rising prices.

Edited by Penge Eagle (05 Feb 2016 11.34pm)