A BUNCH of profiteering landlords have bought up chunks of former council housing in Barnet, north London, a trade union revealed yesterday.

According to research by general union GMB, of 768 flats sold off under right-to-buy, 224 are now let out. Of these, 38 have been bought up by landlords with more than one property — developer Barratt Homes for instance owns a total of nine flats.

The union’s political officer Gary Doolan said the investigation had laid bare “the harsh reality of the exploitation of our social housing stock.