Landlords are ‘Social Criminals’ 😳
In this YouTube monologue, property investor Rob Moore responds to a comment labeling landlords as "social criminals". He argues that landlords are not the cause of the housing affordability crisis; instead, inflation, wage stagnation, and a lack of government‑built housing are primary drivers. Moore explains the economic role of landlords—taking on purchase risk, financing, maintenance, insurance, and management—and notes that they historically received tax relief and interest‑rate subsidies, which have been eroded by recent policy changes, making it harder for landlords to profit. He contends that when landlords are squeezed, tenants suffer because rent must rise to cover costs, just as any business passes on expenses to consumers. Moore highlights his own portfolio of 1,550 tenants and a recent 42‑unit co‑living development offering affordable, centrally‑located housing, positioning landlords and developers as the de‑facto solution to the chronic housing shortage identified in reports such as Kate Barker’s. He acknowledges that a minority of both landlords and tenants act poorly, but stresses that most operate responsibly. Moore calls for a balanced approach: more government incentives for landlords, fairer tenant regulations, and collaborative effort among landlords, tenants, and policymakers. The video concludes with a promotional pitch for his membership site, rob.team, offering courses on property investing, entrepreneurship, and wealth‑building, urging viewers to join for a modest monthly fee.
Chapters
Landlords are social criminals, said someone on one of my Facebook Lives. He's convinced that property is a necessary basic living requirement and should be free for all. Hmm, how does that work economically then, that property is free for all? But I'd love your thoughts on whether landlords are scum and landlords are social criminals. Or if landlords are actually required. So I'll quickly talk about maybe the upsides and downsides, because we're in a very weird situation right now where it's really hard to get on the housing ladder. So if I'm a parent of a teenager growing up, I really feel for them. How are they ever going to be able to afford a house? This is not because of landlord scum. This is because of inflation over and above wage increase. It's because of the multiplier effect of affordability. So there's many other variables other than just the landlord social criminal scum. But my question is, why aren't we pushing more of this towards the government? Because what a landlord does is take the risk of buying the house has to do all the management and upkeep and maintenance and refurb and insurance, and then allows someone to borrow it or even trash it. And they used to get a lot of subsidies and support from the government. They used to get interest rate relief. They used to get a lot of tax subsidies. And then all of a sudden, the government went on a mission to try and take away all the benefits of being a landlord. And over time, it's got much more difficult to be a landlord in terms of the costs. Often now, you buy a property and it's gonna cost you more than you can make in rent. So why on earth would a landlord do that? And who ends up losing, by the way? So people who are quite socialist or tenants blame the landlord. It's the landlord scum. But actually, if the government make it harder for landlords and landlords can't make a margin, who gets hurt? The tenants get hurt, because what does the landlord have to do? The landlord has to increase the rent to pass on that extra cost to the tenant. They have to, just like a business has to pass on their costs to the consumer, just like the food, the fuel, the gas, the energy, the travel that's going on at the moment. So I do think that affordability is a real issue for people who want to get onto the housing ladder, but the housing market has changed and evolved. So, you know, you used to buy a house and it used to be your house for life, and it was probably detached and it was probably a family home. Now you Airbnb or you get a tiny little studio, but you've— 8 of you share, you know, the, the kitchen, the diner, and the way that we live has changed. The Price per square foot has gone wild, obviously, with inflation. And so you can have this sort of hybrid step where you're living at home, you're 20, you want to move out, you go and have 8 of you who share in a, um, you know, sort of a shared accommodation, and you learn how to manage with people and, you know, share bills and stuff like that. And then maybe when you're 25 or 30, when you start a family, then you buy a house. What's wrong with that? Now, Willa said, are you calling yourself a social criminal? No, I'm not. I believe I'm doing a great service. I'm not perfect, of course, but I have 1,550 tenants, and you know what? They all have good housing. We pay the maintenance, the management, the repair, the upkeep, the insurances, and we still do it even over time when the government have taken away all the tax reliefs the incentives and the profit margin from landlords. Now, look, there's always a way and you have to evolve because that's what entrepreneurs do. So what are the upsides of landlords? Well, landlords are solving the housing crisis that the government aren't. There's a massive shortage, massive shortage of housing which for 20 or 30 years has not been updated. I don't know, there was a Barker report, Kate Barker, she wrote a report of the hundreds of thousands or however many houses we were short and how long it would take to catch up, and we're nowhere near catching up. So the government aren't building enough, the government aren't doing enough to solve the housing crisis. So who is solving the housing crisis then? Developers and landlords, these so-called social criminals. Developers build houses, landlords build or buy and rent out houses, and actually give affordable housing. So for example, um, I have just developed a 42-unit co-living block where there will be nice rooms with ensuites, and there will be shared kitchens, diners, etc., bang in the center of town at competitive rates of rent, which are lower than the big developers are charging. And I believe that's an awesome service, really good locality. Here's the upside as well. You know, as accommodation has got smaller, there's obviously a downside there, but the upside is you can live right in the town centre. So imagine you're 21, you're sharing with some friends, you're learning about money and budgeting and, you know, sharing living with people, and you can fall out into the town centre— the pubs, the clubs, the bars, the restaurants, and the shops. That's actually really good. And developers like me are taking dilapidated town centre blocks and apartments and shops and commercial units and then we're developing them into residential. The next thing is landlords have to pay the management, the maintenance, and the refurb, like I said. But in commercial property, the tenants have to pay them. So all these tenants saying landlords are scum and they're social criminals, living in their house, not having to pay the management, the maintenance, the refurb, etc., which you would have to in commercial property. It's like people who bitch and moan about Mark Zuckerberg while doing content on Facebook. It's like, come on. So look, I love being a landlord. I love having 1,550 tenants and giving 1,550 people and families accommodation. Obviously I make good money on my property portfolio. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to do it, and therefore there'd be 1,550 people who wouldn't have a house. Instead of bitching and moaning about the landlords, why don't we encourage more people to be landlords? Because the landlords are solving the housing crisis. The developers are solving the housing crisis. The government are not solving the housing crisis. So it's funny how the people who are solving the economic issues, they get the bitching, moaning, complaining, and blaming from either the masses or the government. The billionaires are the ones that help the economy. Do you know between the big 4 companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla, they employ 1.2 million people. So if you think an average family of 4, that's nearly 5 million people who are having their mortgages paid, who are getting financial support thanks to those big employers started by billionaires that everyone bitches and moans about. So look, I think we need to wake up a bit here. I think our society to some degree has gone a bit too far left and a bit too far socially, even moving towards communist. Oh, let's let landlords make no profit because they're evil scum. Let's take everything off them and let's have everything. 'Well then go and live on the streets then, or go and buy your own property,' which you can't do because it's £200 grand and you can't get in. So government need to do more to support. Landlords probably need to push more the government— sorry, tenants need to push more the government than pushing at the landlords. If the landlords gave more incentive to the— the government give more incentive to the landlords, the landlords therefore don't have to increase the rent so much because they can make their profit, for example, with interest rate relief, etc., reducing the taxes Taxes are huge to buy property. Huge. It's ridiculous. Ridiculous. Anyway, let me know what you think. And now what Boris wants to do is everyone on basically benefits be able to own their own home. Fine. Make it commercial. Stop trying to be Robin Hood. All right, let me know what you think. Are landlords social criminals? Are they evil scum? Or do the government need to do more to improve the massive housing crisis that's currently going on right now? Do the government need to stop taking all the incentives off of landlords and give them back a bit? Are landlords the ones that are actually solving the housing crisis? Um, is it really the landlord's fault that, um, you know, affordability has gone crazy? And it's not the landlord's fault. Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments. I think it's a really good discussion and debate. Dan has said this guy's another level of dense. That's a really thorough, critical analytical and well-researched comment there, Dan. Um, so Dan, why don't you give me your thoughts? Why don't you give me a bit of research? How many tenants do you have? What are your thoughts? David has said, unfortunately, a few scumbag tenants spoil it for everyone. David, you've made a good point here. Um, actually, there are some scum landlords, there is no doubt about that, and there are some scum tenants, and it's probably a minority, and they do ruin it for everyone else. You're right, because When a tenant trashes the property, it can cost £10,000 to the landlord, which might be 3 to 4 years of profit. When a tenant games the rental AST system and doesn't pay rent for a year, then the landlord loses out, and tenant law is way in favour of the tenant than it is the landlord. So if the government gave some supports and subsidies and guarantees to the landlord in those instances, and work together with the landlord, then the government could incentivise the landlord to solve the housing crisis. The landlord wouldn't get screwed over by scum tenants. But on the other side of it, landlords need to provide good quality, clean, not too small accommodation. This is all so important. Why don't we all just work together a bit more? Why is there so left and so right? Extreme social, extreme capital, extreme landlord, extreme tenant. If we all work together, together a bit more because the government are not solving any of the problems. They're trillions in debt, they're mismanaging their interest payments on their debt, they're mismanaging the billions on COVID and like loans they can't get back and PPE equipment they had to write off and all sorts of stuff. It's craziness. Vanu said tenants need more protection. Tenants have got a lot of protection, Vanu. Um, the AST, the legal system for, um, tenancies, is way biased to the tenants, way biased. I know just tenants who just game the system, don't pay rent for a year, fuck you off, don't pay rent for a year, and they just keep doing it and gaming the system. Anyway, let me know what you think. I'd love the discussion and the debate. Thanks for tuning in. Would you mind hitting the share button? Because actually, I think landlords get a bad rap. And you know what, of course scum landlords should be called out, so should scum tenants. And tenants and landlords should work a bit more together, and the government should be working more with the landlord to to solve the housing crisis and give them more incentives. Because honestly, over the last 10 years, they've just been taking incentive after incentive after incentive after incentive off the landlord. And by the way, they've been making it much harder for managing agents and letting agents as well. So who ends up losing in the government's infinite wisdom? The tenant, because the landlord has to pass on those increase in rents to the tenant. The landlord has to pass them on, otherwise they have to sell their properties because they're losing money. Cool, let me know what you think in the comments. Hit the share button. Now, by the way, I don't know if you'd like to be a property investor, don't know if you'd like to learn to be a landlord. Now look, being a landlord is quite a responsibility, but it's also a great thing. I own the biggest property management company in my city, and I have about $50 million, maybe just a little bit more, property portfolio, 1,550 tenants. So, you know, I've been through this journey over the last 16 years, and I've seen most of it. And the biggest problem is the lack of support from the government and the taking away of all the incentives to the landlords. That's what I believe. But property investing is still a great investment. It produces recurring income. You do a lot for society. There's loads of taxes that you generate that you pay to your local councils in the form of all the council taxes and loads of taxes that, you know, the government levy on us landlords. So you're doing great things for society. You're helping with housing and you can make good profit and your portfolio goes up in value. So if you'd love to be an investor, you'd love to be an entrepreneur, you know, you'd like to make these recurring income streams, go now and join Rob.team. And here's what you do. It's just the cost of a large coffee a month. You can cancel at any time. You can gain immediate access. You can get 3 years worth of content going back. And if you— it's super quick and easy to join. You simply open a new page. And type in rob.team. Open a new page, type in rob.team. And if you join, um, you'll gain immediate access to how to start a business, how to scale a business, how to be an investor, how to create content and monetize social media, how to, um, you know, build assets that create produce recurring income. So for example, the 9-module, 10-hour How to Invest series— we talk a lot about real estate and property in that because obviously that's my main investment class. Uh, we also talk about crypto— they're crashing at the moment, so you want to get good knowledge on crypto. We've got, um, gold, watches, precious metals, digital assets, businesses, art, classic cars, you name it, stock market, ISAs— it's all in the 9-module, 10-hour How to Invest series, which is now live on rob.team. Open a new window, super easy. Do it now. Type in r-o-b dot t-e-a-m. Go join, cost of a large coffee. I believe you have the right to make money and make a difference. A lot of people want to make a difference but they're scared. A lot of people are rich but not bothered about making a difference. Um, thanks Forbesy, you said rob.team is a great resource. I believe the greatest thing you could do in your life is do what you love and love what you do. Turn your passion into your profession and make money giving to others and offering value and support and products and services and solutions. Being a landlord is one of those if you do it right, and being a content creator is one of those if you do it right. Being an entrepreneur is one of those if you do it right. So join rob.team for less than a large coffee, cancel anytime, get 3 years worth of content all sorts of courses and masterclasses every week to 10 days. The new one next week is how to automate your sales and marketing. The one after that is how to hack viral growth. There is the 9-module, 10-hour How to Invest series. There is the, um, 21 Ways to Monetize Social Media. Massive opportunity. Learn, earn, invest. So go now, open a new page, and type in rob.moore.team. Join quick. Now, prices might correct, and if price is correct, you're going to get a higher yield and a higher return on investment, and it would be a good time to get into property. So we're approaching a time where maybe there's a recession correction or a crash, and so good buying opportunities could open up. By the way, I see landlord and tenant as a joint venture, like a marriage. Like, I've got some amazing tenants who've been with me for 16 years. They even refurb the property as if it's their own because they see it as their own home, and I'm never going to kick them out, and they're probably going to stay in there for life. It's the kind of tenant you want, and you want the kind of landlord that just gives you the freedom. So yeah, interesting times. Are landlords social criminals, or are landlords the only people who are actually solving the housing crisis? Let me know what you think in the comments. What, what is this Massive inaffordability of buying first homes. What's causing it? A lot of people blame landlords. I don't think it's landlords. I think it's other factors. Let me know what you think in the comments. Hit the share button because I think it's important to get good information out to the masses because we're in this cost of living crisis right now and it's crazy shit going on in the world and people do not know what to do and they're scared. But it's great being a landlord. I've been one for 16 years, got 1,550 tenants. And don't know them all by name, but definitely really pleased to, um, be able to provide all this housing and to, um, you know, contribute to my city, upgrade big new apartment blocks in the center of town, and obviously make some good money along the way. Make money doing what you love, helping others. And that's what Rob.team can teach you— make money doing what you love, helping others. Learn earn, invest. So if you haven't already, do it. Talk doesn't cook rice. Open a new window on the internet and type in rob.team. I do agree with Sean Moore. I think bargains are coming. Bargain businesses which are going to drop in value, bargain properties which are going to drop in value, bargain assets which are going to drop in value. I mean, Bitcoin's already dropped two-thirds in not long. Big buying opportunities right now. But you must educate yourself. You must learn earn and invest. And that's why Rob.team, I think, is a great resource. So I'll see you in Rob.team. You get immediate access and go and consume a load of the content to help you start a business, scale a business, get better financial education and knowledge, create multiple streams of recurring income, learn how to invest, and join 5,000 other disruptive entrepreneurs who are fighting the banking system or fighting the government, who are becoming independent and free. There's a money revolution going on right now. You need to make sure you've sorted your money. Thanks everyone. Hit the share button and remember this: if you don't risk anything, you risk everything.
