On 18/11/2017 15:09, Mark wrote:
That's part of it but people do buy houses purely as an investment and
do not let them out, but keep them empty.

Asian investors may be doing this with some New Build flats in London
and possibly Manchester, but not elsewhere, unless you include Uber
wealthy middle eastern and Russian types.

Apart from Devon and Cornwall most investment properties are let out
and most of the people renting them don't qualify for housing benefit.

How about all the elderly folk who took out liar loans to buy houses
that they actually live in and get their mortgage interest paid for
by the taxpayer ?. You'd be surprised how many are doing this. Why ?,
because they *can*. The system allowed them to live off free money
and so they do.

But when the loan comes due for repayment, immediately they fire off
emails and letters to all the papers about their situation and how
they were missold the loan, blah, blah, blah.