OP - I get the uncomfortable feeling that you are probing too much. Do you need your own views to be validated? There are so mnay things wrong with the housing policy in general; 1) Right to buy housing stock at discount (and then sell at market rate) - depleting council owned properties and therefore the housing available for vulnerable people.... 2) Agencies increasing rents for their clients, as they of course make profit this way 3) Foreign investment with tax free profit to name a few obvious ones. Private individuals who invest in property are not a business, so a mortgage is not the same as a business loan. Are you personally offended by having to pay tax on profits? The concept of BTL is that the owner gets their mortgage paid......