Council Calls On Ministers To Protect Renters

A London council is delivering a petition to government ministers in a bid to protect private renters. The petition, from Hackney Council is backed by hundreds of residents and calls for longer tenancies, a national register of rogue landlords and transparent letting fees. The authority’s ten-point plan, which calls on the government to reform outdated legislation regulating the sector, was handed to the new minister for housing and planning, Gavin Barwell MP. Research from Shelter shows more than a third of privately-let properties don’t meet the Decent Homes standard, while rents in the capital have risen by 19% since 2011 – causing one in three private renters in London to fall into debt just to meet monthly housing costs. Read more on 24dash.