Private renters are being hit the hardest by the cost of living crisis. Increasing market rents are encouraging landlords to force rents up on their current tenants - combined with the overall increase in the cost of living, private renters are facing a bleak winter.
That's why private renters need an emergency package of support, alongside the longer term measures under the Renters' Reform Bill.
We're calling on the government to introduce these protections:
1: Freeze Rents
Rents on new tenancies have risen by 12% nationally in 2022 and there is nothing stopping landlords from passing this on, regardless of whether their tenants can afford it. It is especially tough when the price of other essentials is rising at a similar rate. Freezing rents would allow renters to breathe and have a chance to continue to occupy their homes without getting into rent arrears. A rent freeze was recently enacted in Scotland - renters in England deserve the same.
2: Suspending Section 21 No Fault Evictions
To ensure that the rent freeze worked as successfully as possible, a suspension on no fault evictions is needed in order to stop landlords from simply evicting tenants in order to raise their rents regardless of any freeze.
3: Re-linking Local Housing Allowance to actual rents
For people who rely on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, the cash available to pay rent (Local Housing Allowance) is frozen at 2019-20 levels, meaning that if their rent has risen they have to dip into the rest of their benefits to avoid getting into arrears.
Re-linking LHA to rents would ensure that the people least able to weather the economic storm are better protected. It puts them in a better position to pay for their rent while keeping warm and putting food on the table.
By enacting all of these measures, the government would protect the 11 million private renters who desperately need reassurance and support during this difficult time. Not only will this keep renters in their homes, but also strengthen the wider economy by easing the burden on local authorities and keeping people closer to their places of work.
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Anyone on a tracker mortgage will have had 7 increases in 2022. Payments on my only tracker are now more than 3 times as much as they were in January. Tenants can only have one rent increase in a 12 month period and if they think it's too much can apply to a rent tribunal for a determination.
I fully agree with Gen Rent on point 3.
LHA needs to be linked to current LOCAL rents (not a 500 square mile area). Just like it used to be pre 2011. A great many UC claimants are low income essential workers. Currently their choice is either top up the LHA shortfall by around £300 a month (for a 3 bed) or spend over 2 hours a day commuting from the cheapest housing in the BMRA with significant travel costs.
This would be a nice thank for the landlords that have kept their Rents very reasonable to help the Tenants.
It looks like to me they don’t want 1’000’000, Tenants Evictions but 2’000’000, and a Bankrupt Private Rented Sector.
We are the ones always taken the hit resulting in many landlords getting into financial trouble.
A house 2 doors away from one of mine in Wembley has recently let for £900.00 pm more than mine, to be fair both are modernised and best quality with parking & 100m gardens (not 2 sq M balcony recreational area) although my one have a bedroom more.
My Rents are at least £75’000.00 / £100’000.00 pa below Market Rents.
Generation Rent do you want verification of my figures no problem.
All of mine in Willesden Green are the same. with no mortgage increases I kept my rents the same on each renewal giving me no voids and added security for my tenants. A typical knee jerk statement from GR.
As Jo says our mortgages have gone up and we only get one chance to increase rent. My increases were swallowed up long ago. Freeze mortgages and then you can have a rent freeze. Stop squeezing the PRS as the more you do the higher rents will go! its simply supply and demand rises then.
Words taken out of my mouth Sandra. Rent freeze fine, but buy to let Mortgages need also to be frozen. If that means government funding to the lender then so be it. They do it for energy so why not housing. Energy subsidies kind of pointless for the homeless when landlords properties are repossessed.
Agreed Peter, but you can just see the headlines '' government getting into bed with landlords '' that really wouldn't go down too well
Maybe instead of freezing rents they could consider capping them at a set percentage of the properties value. Having kept rents reasonable during the pandemic, I now have a couple of properties that should the tenants purchase with a 75% LTV their mortgage interest at current rates would be higher than the rent they are paying. To be told I couldn’t increase if I chose to is ridiculous.
Yea and my tenant in 4 months wanted 5 maintenance call outs, most just for minor issues.
She believes that because she pays rent the landlord must jump within hours of picking up a phone, latest she wanted someone to attend last Saturday night after 8pm when she just sent an email at 4pm, all for a hob that stopped working and was still under garantee. she did not want to wait for manufacturers to attend and also insisted we pay for her takeaways, even though the oven was working fine, HAHA. Tenants dont seem to understand that workmen just to attend charge earth sometimes quoting 700 for a 3-hour job. Tenants don't seem to understand how much maintenance and call out cost, a moths rent can disappear with 2 call outs, But then want a rent freeze without understanding our costs, how about we get a maintenance and costs freeze
I do an inspection. Leave. Hours or days later get a text reporting a problem. Been broken locks before. I get a locksmith through my **** agent for about £300. Two locks get fixed. The next week she reports another one. So another £300.
I don't want ANY contact from my tenant anymore. They don't understand anything especially money.
Although we all know they are nut jobs…. The constant pecking away may (in time) mean that politicians do what they want, especially if it looks good in terms of votes.
Such calls will only provoke & precipitiate Landlords upping rents before any ban comes in.
Well done Gen REn - now remind me who your supposed to be campaigning for?
If there is a freeze the moment it ends my rents will go to full market value. Currently I am planning to raise rent by £100 on one property. This increase will still be approximately £175 below market but they have been good tenants. The planned increase covers my increase in expenses and is not a increase in profit.
Freeze energy prices , that’s a lot more important, especially over the coming winter !
I think that ship has sailed for any stat periodic tenancies, there cant be many left that havent had that increase already.
We've already got rent AND eviction freezes in Scotland.
And an ever increasing shortage of rental properties, thanks to the SNP and their little Green helpers.
Rent freeze with mortgage freeze! That’s the only way rent freeze is possible. How can a landlord keep up with mortgage payments if rent is not covering it?
We need petition to stop interest rate rise!
This rent freeze is just around the corner, mortgage freeze and / or a stop to interest rate rises ? no chance, you might as well try stopping the tide coming in, as I believe King Canute once tried .
With a bit more patience Canute could have claimed success once the tide went back out again.
That's what our politicians would have done.
The Woolwich Barrier comes to mind an Engineering marvel of the 70’s. The Thames Flood prevention barrier saves the Capital from disaster, you could forget about letting your Basement Flats.
Its not always about the money either money is not my god. Its the stupid constant attack by numerous free loaders to that what has now attached themselves to our Business for an easy ride that propose ever more Regulation’s. We can’t forget the ridiculously legislation and the Schemes to make soft options for others, next coming Redress Scheme what for I have already foregone the Deposits for 90% of let’s that’s how much I detest the scheme just minding their money for them. Redress Scheme and Ombudsman coming for what they are living in our expensive property and we are supposed to be beholding to them, more administration and red tape which is now a bigger burden than the Business it self, but don’t worry we can do a Course and pay a fee because we have nothing better to do you morons good night.
Well, it largely escaped the media, but in Hunt's financial statement, was a little clause that should prove interesting for the unwashed folk at Generation Rent, the Government is going to increase the frequency of back-to-work interviews...And with Starmer seeking to end Charitable Status at Public Schools the rest of them might find mummy and daddy are not going to be able to fund their siblings.
The mainstream media don't seem that keen on finding out how all these rent-a-mob folk are funded.
I think Generation Rent has a great idea to freeze Rents but why stop there expand it.
Freeze Mortgage’s, cost of living, cost of dying, C/tax, cost of travel, Congestion charge, ULEZ and rogue expansion, Compliance schemes, HMO licensing and proposed licensing schemes nation wide obviously, Redress schemes, THE WHITE PAPER & S.21, now simples no need to do anything just stop and no one any worse off this t next year.
Chester by election bad news for the conservatives
No surprise though, we no longer have a '' Conservative'' party to vote for.
So why don't activists petition utility companies and supermarkets? I expect the average family spends more on food a month than rent in my area. Why pick on the poor landlord? Nobody would consider a ban on ASDA increasing its food prices, would they.
Yes, it's public perception. Supermarket prices are moaned about, but expected to go up. The perception of landlords is different, they are rich, look at all that rent they receive and all that property they have. They must be reeling in it. Non landlords have no idea what it's really like.
'' They must be reeling in it'' the same was said when I had a car repair workshop, and the same is said about plumbers, electricians, solicitors, accountants, estate agents, the list goes on , but if you notice it is normally the 9 till 5 employee that says this, I ask them why they haven't tried self employment if it's so easy, they haven't because they haven't the balls to do so, there are no shortage of those sitting on the sidelines throughout life
Yes Andrew, I worked in the motor trade for 25 years. People couldn't understand the high labour rate charged. They didn't realise the labour rate didn't cover just the wages but all running costs, bills, cost of all the tools and equipment. 10k or 20k for some diagnostic equipment. Then as technology changed, new equipment was needed. It all has to be regularly maintained and calibrated. The costs never end!
Why can’t Mr Michael Gove and his Department take on Board that we are Renting our Private Property out for a fixed Term and not indefinitely, we are not selling it to them and they are acutely aware of the Contact they signed up to, so they are not Purchasing to Properly.
Why can’t Mr Michael Gove get it into his skull that this is the case. So why is he giving them far more Rights than if they were Purchasing the Property its crazy.
Why doesn’t he try this on lenders to see how he gets on.
How can someone so inept be put in Charge of this Department causing Homelessness let him sleep Rough see how he likes it in this Weather and not live for free in Government grace in favour Accommodation.
Especially after being sacked for doubling crossing the Prime Minister loosing all credibility.
I had hoped that BTL mortgage providers would refuse to lend in Scotland once the SNP outlawed fixed term tenancies in Scotland in December 2017 but not a squeak from them since.
Technically they can still reposses for mortgage arrears but it's been made both harder and more likely that this will happen with the combined rent and eviction freeze recently introduced by wee Patrick Harvey and his cronies.
Why is there silence from the BTL mortgage providers about the threats to the viability of their business now threatened by Gove et al?
Micheal
Watch gbnews, especially mark steyn. Gove does what he is told plus a dose of his communist roots. The banks and people like legal and general want your business. They are supposed to invest in businesses, but have now decided to TAKE yours, using bought and paid politicians ( called lobbying).
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