Originally Posted by
Vaygor1
Having a tenant will blemish a Landlord's asset by a greater degree than not having a tenant.
When the rules set by the government (taxation, compliance, tenants 'rights', tenant indemnity) become too onerous, landlords increasingly opt in favour of leaving their asset(s) unblemished.
In other words it becomes more beneficial to leave the property empty than the hassle and cost of not.
According to Phil's Housing Report, there seems to be spare housing for 200,000 people. At 2.6 people per dwelling means a spare 77,000 apartments/houses/dwellings out there. Assuming ALL these dwellings are in an optimal geographical location to 'fix' the problem, the current and proposed rules by the government will ensure at least that many are left empty.