Campaign Launched to Improve Private Rented Housing Market for Tenants
- 49% of tenants unhappy with their landlords
- 750,000 rented properties present serious risk to occupants
- Renters often left trapped and powerless
- Campaign launched to scrap fixed term contracts in an effort to re-balance control in the market
An estimated 750,000 rented properties in the UK present a ‘serious and immediate risk’ to those living in them and last year it was revealed that 49% of renters are unhappy with their proprietors.
This is not good enough.
Renting a house is becoming increasingly more common in the UK and in 2017 a record 50 billion pounds was paid in rent. We believe all those people, paying such a vast amount of money, should not be left in unacceptable housing.
When we have spoken with tenants and throughout our research, we found that the same problems kept on re-occurring. Natasha Brook living in South Manchester told us that they were left for over two weeks with no heating or hot water and Elisa Tremolada told us: “We were without heating for 3 winter months and 2 people had their rooms redone because of mould which they probably hoped we wouldn’t notice.”
Poor conditions, undone repairs, lack of communication, deposit issues/unfair fees and general mistreatment were all common complaints of tenants.
Rentals Done Right launched as campaign to try to push new legislation to end fixed term rental contracts and replace them with an agreed notice period on either side. Even with a fixed term, there are no guarantees you can renew your contract every year and if you do, there is no law on how much your rent can be increased. A notice period could give you more protection, more time to organise alternative housing and would provide a motivation for property owners and agencies to uphold their end of the deal.
This won’t be a fix for all the problems in the market but we believe it’s a good start towards putting some control back in the hands of tenants.
There are already fantastic organisations out there such as Generation Rent and Shelter, running campaigns and offering support for renters. Here at Rentals Done Right, we want to place all our focus on this one clear goal – let us end fixed term rental contracts together.
To support the campaign you can sign the petition here, head to our website here and follow us on twitter and Instagram.