Generation Rent has called on the government to urgently introduce a limit on how much landlords can raise rents, as it believes they create a “fertile environment for scammers”.

It follows the case of prolific rental scammer Freddie Priestly who has been jailed for 35 months for defrauding more than 30 people in London out of more than £77,000.

Priestly targeted prospective tenants in social media groups, luring them in with an advertised rent that was far lower than average for the area. But once they paid the deposit and upfront rent, he would contact them with excuses as to why he could not go through with their agreements, which included saying that there had been deaths in the family, reports the BBC.

Nye Jones, head of campaigns at Generation Rent, says high rents create fertile ground for scammers who can exploit desperation. “Mostly, it’s the people on lower incomes, who can least afford to lose money, who are often targeted,” he adds. “With another inflation spike on the way, the government can and must act by bringing in a limit on how much landlords can hike the rent, which would tackle the conditions that have allowed scammers to thrive at our expense.”

Analysed

Generation Rent analysed 300 renting adverts on one mainstream social media site and found nearly three quarters contained indicators of a scam. It advises tenants to avoid finding homes through social media websites and to watch out for rental prices that feel too good to be true.

According to Report Fraud, the cost of rental fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland more than doubled between 2021 and 2025 from £7.2 million to £14.5 million a year.

Priestley, 34, of Leathermarket Court in Southwark, was previously found guilty of fraud by false representation at Inner London Crown Court and comes in the wake of a BBC investigation of his activities. His defence put forward that the sentence should be lessened due to a diagnosis of ADHD and his gambling addiction.

‍