Housing issues faced by renters are on the rise, according to the a law clinic.

The University of Salford’s pro bono law clinic, called SILKS, claims there’s been a 17% rise in enquiries in 2024 compared to 2023, despite two months of the year still remaining.

SILKS pro bono law clinic is a free community legal advice service from the University’s Business School. The advice is given by qualified Lawyers, alongside the University’s Law students, on a range of areas including, housing, family and employment.

Housing law expert Louise Hall – , who is also a Senior Law Lecturer, Solicitor and SILKS Lead at the University, comments: “At the clinic, where traditionally we’ve seen a huge percentage of our enquiries centred around family law, we’ve started to see a real shift over the last two years which we believe directly links to limited supply of rental properties in the region. This is leading to many having no choice but to accept properties in poor condition, which is ultimately having a huge knock-on effect to the level of enquiries we’re seeing.”

She continues: “One of the biggest concerns for us is seeing such a considerable increase in housing-related enquires on last year and this is before we’ve moved into our colder winter months when many really feel the brunt of property issues. In previous years, we’ve typically seen a surge in enquiries as temperatures drop and the weather worsens.

“Due to a range of unprecedented and unforeseen circumstances, there’s a real cocktail of challenges tenants are navigating right now which we’re finding are becoming much more complex. However, with stories of poor standards across the private rental market consistently circulating the media, many are becoming more aware of their rights and are coming to us to help fight for them. The impact of accepting housing in poor condition often leads to other issues such as poor health and also tenancy deposit problems, as they try to leave their properties.”