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Labour buy to let expert told to “publicly explain” his activities

A letter from a tenant’s union is demanding that a Labour councillor “publicly explain” his actions as an accountant advising investors in the private rental sector how to optimise their financial arrangements.

Shaz Nawaz is a Labour member of Peterborough council and describes himself on social media as “Entrepreneur, Accountant, Speaker, Author, Property Investor, City Councillor.” 

He is the managing director of an accountancy firm and a public speaker on business issues; he has been interviewed on related issues by the Financial Times, The Times, BBC Radio 4 and the Daily Telegraph.

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On his bullish website he calls himself The Profits Wizard and writes:  “I run five successful companies, I’ve learned from my many mistakes and I’ve given more business consultations than anyone in the UK (over 3,000 at the last count.) Through keynote speeches, workshops and masterclasses I’m sharing the secrets of building a scaleable property business.”

However, the Peterborough Tenants’ Union has taken issue with Nawaz, writing a lengthy letter to him and requesting him to “publicly explain” how his work is compatible with their interpretation of Labour policies. 

The Tenants’ Union says its objective is “to organise and use our collective voice to win better living conditions, fair rents, and broader home ownership” and it signs its open letter to Nawaz - which its has also sent to the media - with the words “in solidarity.”

Here is the union’s letter in full:

 

Our members have noted your website via which you promote your services instructing subscribers how to maximise their profit from property – in particular, from buying and selling properties, and renting them out.

As a Union, we are disappointed that the leader of the local Labour Party, a party which purports to represent and work in the interests of ordinary working people (very few being landlords and property developers), seems to be undertaking a scheme so incongruous with those aims.

We would like to give you the opportunity, in replying to this letter, to publicly explain how you think such a promotion is compatible with the Labour Party’s 2019 manifesto commitments, and its broader values. We would also call on you to outline the Peterborough Labour Group’s policies and plans relating to housing. 

Specifically, if the Labour Group was to take control of the City Council how would the Party:—

- reduce homelessness in the City;

- ensure private rented accommodation is of a high standard and affordable to someone earning an average income; and

- reduce the impact of HMO and Air B’n’B [sic] conversions on housing standards, overcrowding, and rent prices.

We have written this letter to you specifically however, as so many of our members (and renters in general) are supporters of the Labour Party, and vote for Labour representatives because they believe it would be in their interests to do so.

The Labour Party’s 2019 election manifesto renewed the Party’s 1945 pledge to treat housing as a right and stated that the housing market is denying people this right by treating “homes as financial assets rather than places to live.” The principle of housing as a human right, not as a financial asset, is something that the Union has also committed to, in its Rulebook.

Given this area of common ground between our organisation and yours, you can understand why members were disappointed to see you, on your website, specifically and repeatedly talk about houses as an asset from which to extract profit, and espouse your own skill at doing so.

Our members were similarly shocked to read your boasts about having “done better than ever in the last 12 months” due to the pandemic. Those who have lost loved ones or been afflicted with serious illness during this period will perhaps understandably not share in your enthusiasm for your having made nearly half a million in housing profit in that time.

Renters, especially those in HMOs, have been some of the most seriously impacted by the Coronavirus Regulations, seeing their already below average incomes squeezed even more. We would ask if any of your profits in the last 12 months have come from rental income and what you have done to ease the difficulties of any of your tenants.

According to the British Election Study, at the 2017 general election renters swung towards supporting the Labour Party, particularly young renters. On top of this, YouGov polling shows that the majority of Labour supporters are in favour of action to reduce house prices. Do you think that your actions have undermined the trust placed in your Party by renters?

Our members would be very grateful to hear your answers, and we will be asking similar policy questions to the other leaders of Peterborough’s main political parties.

To summarise, our specific questions are:—

  • If elected to control of Peterborough City Council, how would the local Labour Party reduce homelessness in the City, ensure private rented accommodation is of a high standard and affordable to someone earning an average income, and reduce the impact of HMO and Air B’n’B conversions on housing standards, overcrowding, and rent prices?
  • Have any of your profits in the last 12 months have come from rental income and what you have done to ease the difficulties of any of your tenants?
  • Do you think that your actions have undermined the trust placed in your Party by renters?

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to this letter, and we hope that your answers will allay the concerns raised amongst our members by your website.

We will be sharing a copy of this letter with local media and on social media.

In Solidarity,

Peterborough Tenants Union

  • Billy the Fish

    I wonder why the Labour Party didn't solve the future housing crisis by building more new social housing in their 13 years of power?
    "The Party’s 1945 pledge to treat housing as a right and stated that the housing market is denying people this right by treating “homes as financial assets rather than places to live.” The principle of housing as a human right, not as a financial asset, is something that the Union has also committed to, in its Rulebook."
    It is easy to criticise individuals, although they clearly have a point with Shaz

    Roger  Mellie

    As we well know, governments don't build housing, housebuilders do. There are incentives through PD to encourage new housing without the interference of planning control, but still.

     
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    I hope his reply was a less than polite version of “None of your damn business. Unlike you, I am earning a living.”

    Roger  Mellie

    Basically, "do one!"

     
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    It seems to me that all you are really worried about is who is going to pay for your mortgage. Maybe, in that case, you should look into finding a proper way of 'earning a living'.

     
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    @ Suzy price Many landlords, myself included, have other jobs. You should try working for a change instead of complaining about landlords who have not mentioned mortgages!

     
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    Oh dear, really not showing yourself in a very nice light there. Thankfully I have a well-paid job that I earned and worked hard for. Thank you for once again proving why landlords are really just all the same. Have a good day Fedup Landlord :)

     
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    @ suzie price again. I take no notice of your comments. If you have a well-paid job ( I am not sure how you "earn" a job) then try being a landlord yourself. You wull see it is not as easy as you seem to think. I invest a lot in my properties and my tenants stay on average five years. They tend to move to larger properties or relocate through their employment. I won't use the four letter version.

     
  • James B

    hopefully their letter finds its way rightly into the nearest bin.

  • Roger  Mellie

    Having looked at their website, these commies have some bat sh1t ideas on housing, that's for sure.

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    Shame you have this view. We would really love to sit down with you at some point and listen to why you think that basic housing shouldn't be a right, I am sure renters would love to hear a 'landlords' blurred view on this.

     
    Roger  Mellie

    Suzy, you should look at your own mission statement under Equality section 9(f). Breaking the very rules you set out to police.

     
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    Theodor Cable

    SUZY - And why and when is being a LL not a job?
    I assume you are not one of them?

     
  • Theodor Cable


    SUZY - Everything in this life has to be paid for somehow and sometime.
    If you cannot pay, then you don't get.

    So why are houses expected to be able to not pay for one?

    Would you ever think of not paying for your car?
    Would just take it from the owner or would you expect pay for it?
    Would you go to Tesco and just walk out with a week of groceries and not pay?
    And would you expect to be able to walk out and not expect any consequenses?

    If that is the case then, I will head off to the Bently showroom tomorrow and grab the keys to the very first one and drive happily away without paying for it.

    Thanks for the advice,

    What, pray tell, is the difference?

  • Theodor Cable

    Please can you tell me that you have you discovered a new planet that nobody else knows about?

    Can be the only reason you think that housing is free, because nowhere else on this particular rock is it free!

    But you seem convinced it is acceptable.

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