REGARDING the Letter 'Stop Landlord bashing' (September 12) by Sharron Howard

Firstly, Who mentioned free lunches, or wanting anything for free, certainly not me, and I don't have a clue what the writer is on about when she mentions beer and skittles. The simple fact of the matter is that private landlords make an awful lot of money from housing benefits and peoples salaries.

Landlord and writer of the letter Sharron Howard also paints a rosy picture of the private rented sector, the idea that most private landlords provide a good and affordable service to their tenants is simply not true.

In the UK private landlords make £77.7 billion pounds a year, four billion more than the entire GDP of Morocco. They are also subsidised to the tune of £26.7bn in tax breaks and housing benefit. The cost of landlord subsidies to Britons is £1011 per household (Sources: Guardian)

Whilst there are no doubt some good private landlords who do look after tenants so to speak, the sector is in need of regulation and if rent rises continue the way they are doing when buy to let mortgage repayments are low, then private landlords should be made to improve their properties with any rent rise that they slap on their properties. We only have to look at the state of a great many privately let houses in Bolton to see that there is something wrong.

Steve Jones

Morris Green