A petition calling for rent controls launched by a hard-up mum has garnered some 42,00 signatures and counting.

The petition, which was started by single mum Bridget Chapman (pictured) from Darlington in County Durham after her landlord raised her rent by 20%, follows research from Generation Rent that revealed that 61% of tenants it canvassed had been asked to pay higher rent during the past 12 months.

Chapman’s petition says she wants a cap on how much landlords can raise rent by and that the Renters’ Right Bill going through parliament – and expected to become law later this year – doesn’t address ‘sudden and affordable rent hikes’.

“My landlord recently hiked my rent by £100,” says Chapman.

“I’ve been renting privately all my adult life, but getting a sudden rent hike still comes as a shock and has been very stressful, especially as the landlord gave us just one month’s notice.

“This is nearly a 20% increase. As a single parent living with my two children, with one income to live on, the impact will ripple through my life. I feel broken down by this system.”

Generation says its research shows the ‘most common’ reason landlords put up rent is not higher costs, but rather to increase their revenue as local rents rise.

“This is indefensible,” says a Generation Rent spokesperson.

“If renters are to finally feel secure in our own homes, we need protections from shock rent rises.

“Private landlords should not be able to raise the rent higher than inflation or wages. The Government can and must act to change this.”

But Generation Rent’s research is in contrast to similar polling by the National Residential Landlords Association, which recently found that some 80% of landlords do not have a policy of raising rents annually for sitting tenants, while 28% never raise rents during a tenancy.

Petitions like Bridget’s on Charnge.org are only designed to raise awareness – while official parliamentary petitions prompt debates in parliament when they pass 100,000 signatures.

See the petition at Change.org/RentRiseCap.

Read more about rent controls.