Labour’s policies for the private rental sector are “too extreme … unrealistic and will be hugely damaging to housing supply in the UK.”

That’s the view of the National Landlords Association which has issued a sharp condemnation of the proposals, which include rent caps, annual rental property MOTs and fines of up to £100,000 for landlords who break the law.

The party also wants a national landlord register and the scrapping of Section 21 eviction policies.

The NLA statement says of Labour’s manifesto: “It begs so many questions: from rent-caps to open ended tenancies, how does Labour intend to make these policies work? How will Labour ensure landlords who are already compliant don’t take the full brunt of these changes? Will they give housing enforcement the priority and the resources it desperately needs? Does Labour intend to reform the courts so that if a landlord needs to end a tenancy, it can be done quickly and efficiently?

And it adds: “Currently, what Labour proposes will force landlords to be more selective about the tenants they take on and will drive many from the market altogether. We cannot stress enough that punishing law-abiding landlords who live and work in the private rental sector will be something the Labour party will come to regret.”