One of Britain’s leading housing academics has said the Government’s targeting of private landlords – through higher rates of income tax, stamp duty and capital gains tax – will result in a reduced supply of accommodation and in tenants paying higher rents.

Kath Scanlon of the London School of Economics criticised the tax measures, saying: “It is not clear what the Government wants these policies to accomplish.

“They seem to reflect the public unpopularity of landlords, who are easy objects of blame for the current situation in the housing market, especially in London.”

A report she co-wrote with Christine Whitehead and Peter Williams argued that demand for rental property would grow in coming years – and even faster in the case of a weakening economy – and that private landlords would here, as in Europe, provide the bulk of housing, even if institutional investors started “building to let” on a larger scale.

The report concluded: “Shrinking the sector does not seem sensible given what we know about unmet demand and need.”

A new higher rate of stamp duty, payable by people buying a second property, was introduced last month. It adds a 3pc surcharge to the amount normally paid by a buyer, and applies to landlords buying properties to rent.