Housing minister is a mystery to most landlords, Landbay finds
07 October 2025
Only 11% of landlords can correctly name the Minister of State for Housing and Planning as Matthew Pennycook, Landbay’s latest survey reveals.
Despite being in post since Labour’s election win in July 2024, the overwhelming majority of landlords could not name the Minister and Member of Parliament for Greenwich and Woolwich.
When asked by Landbay in May, many landlords said Angela Rayner, who until recently served as both Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Other responses included Lisa Nandy, Julie James, the Welsh Senedd member and Minister for Delivery, and Baroness Rachel Maclean – a former Housing Minister under Rishi Sunak.
In addition to some more colourful responses, many landlords said the issue was that the position had changed too many times to keep track. As shown with another reshuffle recently, some said it didn’t matter as the minister is likely to change again.
While one landlord said: “No. it has changed too many times,” another said: “No idea - probably won’t be in post long anyway.”
Pennycook is 17th housing minister since 2010, when the Conservatives came to power. From Grant Shapps’ appointment, the role changed 16 times during their 14 years in office – with the job changing hands six times during a 12 month period between 2022 and 2023. At a cabinet level, the Housing Secretary role has seen similar churn with new appointment Steve Reed serving as the 12th Secretary of State since 2010 and the second of this latest Labour government.
The current Housing Minister will perhaps be best known by landlords for his work alongside the former Deputy PM in pushing through the Renters’ Rights Bill. Most recently, Pennycook has helped the legislation clear the final stages in the Commons by rejecting almost all amendments proposed by the House of Lords. He is now pushing for the legislation to receive Royal Assent “as quickly as possible”.
Meanwhile, Angela Rayner’s replacement as Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, has vowed to “build baby build” as he looks to deliver on Labour’s ambitious housebuilding targets. In a meeting with civil servants, Reed said he will pull every lever to get Britain building.
Rob Stanton, sales and distribution director at Landbay, said:
“Given the fact that landlords have had to contend with a revolving door of housing ministers for more than decade, it should come as no surprise to see them struggling to keep track of who currently holds the post. One way for ministers to fix this issue is to actively engage with the landlord community, understand their challenges and recognise the vital role they play in propping up the housing market and providing housing for one in five households in England and Wales. Instead, they continue to test the incredible resilience of landlords with unhelpful rhetoric and one-sided legislation.
“While ministers and policy may change, landlords can rely on the BTL market for continued support – whether it’s the expert advice of intermediaries to facilitate deals, or lenders such as Landbay continuing to drive innovation to support landlords in expanding or refinancing. The combination of quality advice and agile, forward-thinking lending will enable landlords to navigate this shifting landscape and confidently plan for the long term.”
