A new analysis suggests the Renters Rights Bill will trigger more tenant-landlord disputes when it becomes law.
A study by industry supplier Inventory Base
shows that tenancy disputes are on the rise with the number seen in 2023 hitting the second highest level over the last decade.
The firm claims:
- Tenancy disputes are on the rise and have been increasingly consistently with the exception of the pandemic;
- Ten years ago, the UK saw an estimated total of 27,035 disputes per year. In 2023, this annual total had increased to 42,180 – a jump of 56%;
- Over the past decade, there have only been two years in which the number of tenancy disputes has fallen;
- 2021 and 2022 recorded drops of -5.3% and -13.6% respectively, but it’s important to note that tenants were benefiting from protection measures, including eviction bans, that were introduced during the pandemic;
- And once these protections were removed, 2023 saw an enormous increase of +20.5% in a single year in the number of disputes recorded;
- It’s estimated that by the end of this year alone, tenant disputes will reach a total of 42,542 which will mark an annual increase of +0.9%;
- It’s also expected that this will be followed by a further increase of +3.5% in 2025 pushing the number of annual disputes to a total of 44,040 – the highest yearly total seen since 2014.