Generation Rent has increased the pressure on Ministers to introduce rent controls after delivering a petition signed by 56,000 people to 10 Downing Street that calls for a cap on rent rises.
The petition was delivered by single mum Bridget Chapman with the backing of the tenant lobbying group.
She came to the nation’s attention after gaining widespread media coverage after her Durham landlord raised her rent by 20% or £100 with just a month’s notice.
“As a single parent living with my two children, with one income to live on, the impact will ripple through my life,” she says.
“I feel broken down by this system. Extreme damp in my previous home led to me being rushed to hospital with pneumonia.
“I hoped this new home would be better, but once again, I’ve suffered a huge blow to my security.
“Rents in my local area are high, and I cannot simply jump to another more affordable option – I was already struggling to cover my essentials; this shock rent rise will put even more of a strain on me.”
Generation Rent has been working hard to persuade Labour to bring in rent controls within England and Wales, even though ministers have previously rejected the proposal.
The looming Renters’ Rights Bill includes some measures to limit rent rises. This includes that all rent increases within the private rented sector will be made using the same process.
Landlords will be able to increase rents once a year to the market rate – i.e. the price that would be achieved if the property was newly advertised to let.
To do this, they will have to serve a ‘section 13’ notice, setting out the new rent and giving at least two months’ notice.
“The most common reason that renters reported they had been given for their rent increases, was not because their landlord faced increased costs, or was struggling more, it was simply because of the rising rewards of ‘the market’,” a Generation Rent spokesperson says.
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