Greedy landlords: nearly a third of deposit complaints won by tenants

Let’s face it, us Brits have a dirty habit. We’re obsessed with property. We own much more of it than our European cousins, and many of us have come to see owning a nice home as not just a sign of a successful life, but intrinsically linked to our self-worth.

Thanks to TV shows like the BBC’s long running Homes Under The Hammer, we’ve also become convinced that owning property is a license to print money. It’s this belief that has filtered through every part of the property industry, and led to some pretty predatory behaviour. In February a Which? study found that home-sellers were losing an average of £20,000 because ‘greedy’ estate agents were overvaluing their properties.

This greed has helped to fuel rising house prices, and turned homeownership into a long lost dream for many in my generation. And as more of us turn to renting, the yearning to squeeze renters has never been more compelling.