Tenants Paying High Rents Cut Back On Food and Heating

The high cost of private rents is forcing some tenants to cut back on heating and food, according to a poll, underlining the pressure rising housing costs are putting on household finances. A survey of 1,000 tenants commissioned by the campaign group Generation Rent found two in five had reduced their energy bills, while a third have skimped on food to cut costs. The group, which is calling for reforms, including a national register of landlords and more affordable privately rented homes, said that the number of people facing problems is rising as the number of tenants grows. The most recent official survey of housing found that private renting had overtaken social renting – via housing associations and councils – to become the second most popular form of tenure in England. Read more on the Guardian website.

Landlords- Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce a national register of landlords; and what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for local authorities to introduce a licensing scheme for landlords. 

Kris Hopkins: The overwhelming majority of landlords provide a good service and the Government does not want to impose unnecessary additional costs on them. We have no plans to introduce a national register which would be a financial burden on all landlords estimated at £40 million per year. Those costs would be passed on to tenants through higher rents. Local authorities can already introduce a licensing scheme where an area is suffering from anti-social behaviour and/or low housing demand. We recently published a discussion paper, “Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector”, which invited views on ways in which licensing can be made more effective and proportionate.