Tenants who complain about disrepair are twice as likely to be evicted

Tenants who complain about disrepair are twice as likely to be hit with an eviction notice from their landlord, homelessness charity Shelter reveals

  • A quarter of renters have avoided asking for repairs out of fear of eviction 
  • More than 75% of renters have experienced disrepair in their homes 

Private tenants who complain to their landlord about disrepair are more than twice as likely to be given an eviction notice, according to new research. 

Data from homelessness charity Shelter, compiled by YouGov, reveals renters who have contacted their landlord, letting agent or council in the past three years about the condition of their property were 159 per cent more likely to be given two months’ notice to move out than those who had not.

The research found 25 per cent of renters, just over 2 million people, had avoided asking their landlord for repairs to be carried out or conditions improved for fear of being evicted.

A survey from YouGov reveals renters are wary of approaching their landlord about repairs out of fear they will be served with an eviction notice

A survey from YouGov reveals renters are wary of approaching their landlord about repairs out of fear they will be served with an eviction notice

The research also revealed that more than three in four (76 per cent) of private renters in England have experienced disrepair in their home.

More than half have had issues with damp or mould, and nearly a third with lack of hot water or heating.

Findings from the survey tally with data from users on Shelter’s website. Since the beginning of the year, Shelter’s online advice pages on disrepair have been accessed every 18 seconds. This is a 53 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

The results come amid a flurry of proposed changes for the private rental sector. The Government’s long-awaited Renters Reform Bill is set to abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions, also known as section 21s, which allow landlords to hand a tenant two months’ notice to vacate a property without giving a reason. 

However, the government has also announced measures to toughen up rights for landlords looking to evict anti-social tenants as part of its new anti-social behaviour action plan.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘By dragging its heels on the Renters Reform Bill, the Government has left private renters in a terrible catch 22 – they either shut up and put up with disrepair, or risk more than doubling their chances of eviction in a cost of living crisis.

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‘It is a travesty that so many private renters are too afraid to complain about the mould growing all over their kids’ clothes, or the water pouring in through broken window frames, in case it costs them their home.

‘Renters are bearing the brunt of Government dithering over urgently needed private rental reforms.’

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: ‘No renter should have to put up with unsafe housing. It is important that they have the confidence to challenge poor standards where they see them.

‘There are almost 170 laws affecting the private rented sector, including those protecting tenants from so called “revenge” evictions. Councils need to make better use of these powers to protect renters from rogue and criminal landlords.’

The concern from landlords around the abolition of section 21 is that they will not be able to get their property back without fault-free evictions.

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source: dailymail.co.uk