Which? Urges Private Rented Sector Reform

The private rented sector is failing to serve tenants and landlords alike, a major report from Which? reveals. The sector is plagued by issues of sub-standard accommodation, insecurity and ineffective redress provisions.  Which? tracked the experiences of more than 2,500 tenants as they searched for, secured, lived in and moved on from rented accommodation in England. We also carried out a survey of 898 private landlords to understand the challenges they face. The report found evidence of wide-ranging issues from substandard property conditions to anxiety about insecure tenancies and a fear of reporting problems. Read more on the Which? website.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/07/which-urges-private-rented-sector-reform/

Safe Homes For Young Adults Under Threat

Shrinking council housing, benefit cuts and rising private rents have made it more difficult for disadvantaged young people to find somewhere to live. Between 2008 and 2013, the proportion of 16- to 24-year-old renters in social housing managed by councils or housing associations dropped by 23% – the greatest drop of any measured age group. And the average time youths spent in homeless accommodation nearly doubled, to 16 months last year. Many single young people are shut out of social housing because they do not qualify as “priority homeless” so they turn to the private rented sector, where the prohibitive cost of an upfront deposit and the insecure nature of their tenancy are major obstacles. Now housing organisations are guiding young adults into safe and affordable rooms and shared tenancies. Read more on Welfare Weekly.

Rent Control - The Missing Words That Could Fix the Housing Crisis

Nine million people now pay rent to private landlords in the UK after the reckless expansion of the buy-to-let market, with too many stuck in expensive, substandard homes and desperately insecure tenancies. The sheer number of recommendations for sweeping reform in a House of Commons select committee report is itself testament to just how deep the problems are in this sector.  Letting agents should face far tougher rules, says the committee. The worst should be banned. Tenants need to be protected from the appalling rise in letting agency fees, with the committee proposing that adverts for properties reveal every add-on fee. Councils should have new powers to weed out rogue landlords who soak up billions from housing benefit but leave their tenants in dirty, damp and overcrowded homes.  But two words are conspicuously absent from the long list of recommendations: rent control.  Read more on the Guardian website.

Call To Improve Stability for Renting Families

A new report from Shelter has uncovered the damaging impact of a childhood spent in England’s volatile private rental market.  The report, ‘Growing up renting’, reveals that families with children are bearing the brunt of the insecure tenancies, high rents, and constant moves that are standard in today’s market.  It's based on research with over 4,000 private renters – the largest study of its kind ever conducted.  1 in 5 families in England now rent privately, yet tenancy contracts of just 6 or 12 months are the norm. Government research shows that renting families are nine times as likely to have moved in the last year than families who own their homes.  The report reveals many problems created by short-term tenancies.  Download a copy from the Shelter website.