7. Plaid Cymru Debate: The private rental sector

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:37 pm on 12 October 2022.

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Photo of Sam Rowlands Sam Rowlands Conservative 5:37, 12 October 2022

Not at all. I think it's a real aspiration for people to own their own homes, and I wouldn't want to be seen at all as holding people back from actually owning their own property, having that destiny in their own hands. I think that's a really important principle we should be looking to agree on.

I'll go back to the point around building more private homes, because nearly 85 per cent of homes in Wales are either owned or in the private rental sector. It's a real significant proportion of homes here in Wales. We also know that—and I appreciate time is running, Deputy Presiding Officer; I'll be as fast as I can here—in Wales, data from Propertymark shows that twice as many landlords are leaving the sector compared to other parts of the UK. So, it's clearly an issue here in Wales that is different to other parts of the UK, causing landlords not to want to be here as much as other areas of the UK.

I appreciate time has gone; I would urge Members to support our amendments as outlined in the paper. Thank you.