Private Properties to Rent

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 11 October 2022.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:14, 11 October 2022

I might just finish the answer for one moment, Llywydd, just to illustrate the reason why people are under the pressure they are in in that sector. The mortgage rate in December 2021—you could borrow money at 2.34 per cent. On the day that the latest Chancellor announced his so-called mini budget, the mortgage rate had risen to 4.74 per cent. Today, it's 6.43 per cent, as a result of the reckless announcements made by the Chancellor, with his unfunded borrowing. That adds anything around £500 a month to the cost of borrowing for a private landlord seeking to increase the number of houses available to rent. That's the reason why the market is in danger of collapsing—because people can no longer afford to borrow money at the prices that they have to under the current Government.