A charity is warning that growing numbers of private tenants are likely to have difficulties keeping up with their financial commitments.
The warning comes as the Office for National Statistics reveals that median monthly rents in England have reached £825, the highest figures since records began. The average monthly median rent in London is now £1,500.
The charity StepChange says this latest rise will have a significant impact on the ability of tenants to keep up with their finances, and it claims that its own research has found that the number of private renters in so-called ‘problem debt’ rose sharply from 800,000 people in January to 1.1m people in May.
It says this is the equivalent of rising from 11 per cent of tenants to 15 per cent.
StepChange is urging the government to take action to protect financially vulnerable tenants from further difficulty and hardship.
Director of external affairs Richard Lane says: “The pressure millions of private renters are under just to keep a roof over their heads is reaching unsustainable levels. These sky-high rents, alongside soaring food prices and energy bills are fuelling problem debt and forcing more than 1m renters to borrow to make ends meet.
“With these pressures showing little sign of abating, many renters face a precarious future without targeted intervention.
“The government’s welcome move to ban no-fault evictions through the Renters’ Reform Bill should help renters feel more secure, but new grounds for possession introduced through the Bill run the risk of no-fault evictions reappearing under a new name.
“The Bill can and should do more to provide greater security and protect those on low incomes. We urgently need to see safety nets that cover the real cost of renting, alongside strengthened rules to help financially vulnerable tenants deal with rent arrears and stay in their homes.”
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Just give them the property , that's the long term aim after all
The Government must help Private Tenants ?, are you all mad the Government is the Problem, with the outrageous Renter’s Reform Bill.
They have caused all this driving out landlords driving up Rents making Renting unaffordable and unavailable.
Scrap this Communist Bill now.
Ironically, Conservative led 'communist activity' is fast coming down the line. Next up will be rent controls, closely followed by a national eviction ban. There you have it, sequestration of private assets/property taken from private individuals by an 'over controlling State'.
This is a real democratic threat and Labour will eagerly consolidate and expand what has already begun. Shame on the lot of them!
Any that cannot afford I am afraid the only way will be to sell them or put them into AirBnB use. At least they stick up for their members unlike NRLA
StepChange says "but new grounds for possession introduced through the Bill run the risk of no-fault evictions reappearing under a new name".
Would that be because Section 21 was often used as a more certain alternative to Section 8 when there was fault? In reality Section 21 should have been known as 'no reason given' not 'no fault'.
A professional landlord will almost never want to evict a good tenant. Circumstances beyond their control such as major health scares (cancer, heart attack, mental health problems caused by the stress of constant government attacks on their profession, etc) or unsustainable mortgage increases due to an inept government would be about the only reasons a landlord would want to evict a good tenant.
Two from five news stories today about government help. The state is getting bigger, and it all started with topping up peoples wages if they worked 16+hrs. This allowed employers to pay less and more people to top up. I personally prefer a small state, but I think that boat has sailed. Now they both cause the problem and bail us out.
I'll do a deal with these charities.
Campaign to help me and my tenants will benefit.
Campaign to harm me and my tenants will suffer, not for revenge but for essential economic reasons and the survival of my business.
AJR is right…. I can seriously see Labour bringing in a rent increase ban and an evictions ban … 🙄 you heard it here first 😱😱🆘🆘
Im a Landlord.
Anyone want to help me with my rising costs of renting property
I’m a landlord.
Anyone help me Tenant subletting don’t live there but denies it. I have visited more than once a stranger in occupation in his room, they paid lead Tenant that don’t live there and controls the Boiler from 100 miles away. The lead Tenant transfers rent occasionally but always keeps well in arrears. I believe he lives with single partner family for free courtesy of system don’t know how much he is making from my house, when challenged claims property maintenance required but never requested any.
It has become common practice for Tenants to claim property damage as a challenge for Rent arrears, avoid increases or eviction
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