Latest news with #rentersrights
CTV News
09-07-2025
- CTV News
Housing advocates call for RentSafe signage program
Video Housing advocates are calling for a new system for renters to identify unsafe properties with colour-coded signs.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
Mum says she's been ‘given 2 months to move out' after row with ‘idiot' landlord – but trolls say ‘it's not YOUR house'
A STRESSED mum has revealed her landlord has given her just two months to move out after the pair had an argument. The mum, who simply goes by The Maiden on social media, took to TikTok for some advice after she explained she didn't have enough money to move. 2 2 However, after sharing her story some cruel trolls expressed little sympathy for the mum, who was facing uprooting her entire life. She claimed she received the two months notice because of an argument with her "idiot" landlord. "The landlord didn't fix some sockets in our kitchen in reported in March, he turned up in June and wondered why I was angry," she explained in the viral clip. According to Citizen's Advice, after formally notifying your landlord of issues they should respond in a reasonable timeframe, so it's no wonder the mum wasn't happy with how slow things were moving. Not only that, the mum said she's been living in the home with her son for seven years, so she'd well and truly settled in. "I've just got the boy into a school right by this house and now he's given me two months to move," she added. According to the mum, during her seven years in the home she'd never been late with rent and had in fact always paid three days early. But none of that mattered to the harsh landlord, who decided to chuck the mum and her son out. Things went from bad to worse for the mum because she admitted she wouldn't be able to gather enough money for a deposit for another rented house in the timeframe given, leaving her in limbo. Luckily, many people offered support in the comment section, with one urging the mum to take the landlord to court. "Don't leave before the bailiffs come," one person commented. "This is a revenge eviction and unlawful," a second said. "That's no good reason, truly. Go to Citizens Advice," someone else suggested. Meanwhile, other renters said they found themselves in similar situations with their own dodgy landlords. "Ours hiked our rent over 40% because we pushed for repairs to damp and mould," one said. "We went through the same last year and had been in the house eight years," another revealed. But others weren't so kind to the struggling mum, as some said she had no reason to complain, since the house isn't technically hers. "There's two sides to every story," one person slammed. "I would like to know why you renters think it's ok for your landlord to be out of pocket," a second wrote. "It's not your house, to be fair," another chimed in.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A third of renters could be ‘forced out' by average rent rise, research finds
Millions of renters could be forced to move house despite Labour's pledged protections, campaigners say, as new research lays bare the toll of massive rent increases. Over two-thirds of renters say they would definitely (34 per cent) or probably (34 per cent) need to move home if given a rent rise of £110, polling from the Renters' Reform Coalition (RRC) shows. The research comes ahead of Labour's Renters' Rights Bill, which is expected to pass later this year. The legislation will bring an end to controversial Section 21 'no-fault' eviction notices, as well as empowering tribunals to protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases. But this does not go far enough, the RRC argues, pointing out that a £110 rent rise is an increase of 7.9 per cent on the average rent, close to the current average rent increase of 7.5 per cent. This means it is unlikely that tribunals will be able to provide adequate protection against 'backdoor eviction' via rent rises, which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says they should do. Furthermore, research by the group finds that the average decision made by tribunals in the first half of 2025 saw tenants receive a rent increase of more than £240 per month. The polling also reveals the stark impact even a market rate increase can have on renters, following years of consecutive rental market increases during the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis. Around 85 per cent of renters said they would need to make changes to their spending to afford a rent rise of £110. Of these, 32 per cent said they could cut back on non-essential spending, while 24 per cent said they would need to cut back on essentials. A further 14 per cent said they would be forced to use savings or borrow money, and 13 per cent said they would have no way of affording the rise. Only 14 per cent of renters said they would be able to afford the increase with no changes to their spending. Average rents increased to £1,339 in May, up 7 per cent in the year. This is up nearly 30 per cent from when rents began to rise for years prior to 2021, up nearly 30 per cent from £1,034. This figure is more than four times the 7 per cent rise in the four years from May 2016 to May 2021, with the average rent rising from £954. Tom Darling, director at the RRC said the government's Renters' Rights Bill is 'long overdue', adding that it will 'give renters more rights and protections and should help drive up housing standards'. He added: 'But the rent rise eviction loophole is a serious gap in the legislation. Even after section 21 is abolished, our research suggests as many as a third of renters will still face being pushed out of their homes and communities by rent increases, and landlords will be able to use rent hikes they know tenants cannot afford to threaten or intimidate. 'A cap on rent increases would be simple to implement, putting money back into renters' pockets and giving them real long-term security in their homes." A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Our landmark Renters' Rights Bill will ensure that landlords are only able to increase rents once a year to the market rate, and tenants will be able to challenge unreasonable rent increases through the first-tier Tribunal. 'This will prevent unscrupulous landlords using rent increases as a backdoor means of eviction, while ensuring rents can be increased to a fair rate.'
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
A third of renters could be ‘forced out' by average rent rise, research finds
Millions of renters could be forced to move house despite Labour 's pledged protections, campaigners say, as new research lays bare the toll of massive rent increases. Over two-thirds of renters say they would definitely (34 per cent) or probably (34 per cent) need to move home if given a rent rise of £110, polling from the Renters' Reform Coalition (RRC) shows. The research comes ahead of Labour's Renters' Rights Bill, which is expected to pass later this year. The legislation will bring an end to controversial Section 21 'no-fault' eviction notices, as well as empowering tribunals to protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases. But this does not go far enough, the RRC argues, pointing out that a £110 rent rise is an increase of 7.9 per cent on the average rent, close to the current average rent increase of 7.5 per cent. This means it is unlikely that tribunals will be able to provide adequate protection against 'backdoor eviction' via rent rises, which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says they should do. Furthermore, research by the group finds that the average decision made by tribunals in the first half of 2025 saw tenants receive a rent increase of more than £240 per month. The polling also reveals the stark impact even a market rate increase can have on renters, following years of consecutive rental market increases during the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis. Around 85 per cent of renters said they would need to make changes to their spending to afford a rent rise of £110. Of these, 32 per cent said they could cut back on non-essential spending, while 24 per cent said they would need to cut back on essentials. A further 14 per cent said they would be forced to use savings or borrow money, and 13 per cent said they would have no way of affording the rise. Only 14 per cent of renters said they would be able to afford the increase with no changes to their spending. Average rents increased to £1,339 in May, up 7 per cent in the year. This is up nearly 30 per cent from when rents began to rise for years prior to 2021, up nearly 30 per cent from £1,034. This figure is more than four times the 7 per cent rise in the four years from May 2016 to May 2021, with the average rent rising from £954. Tom Darling, director at the RRC said the government's Renters' Rights Bill is 'long overdue', adding that it will 'give renters more rights and protections and should help drive up housing standards'. He added: 'But the rent rise eviction loophole is a serious gap in the legislation. Even after section 21 is abolished, our research suggests as many as a third of renters will still face being pushed out of their homes and communities by rent increases, and landlords will be able to use rent hikes they know tenants cannot afford to threaten or intimidate. 'A cap on rent increases would be simple to implement, putting money back into renters' pockets and giving them real long-term security in their homes." A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'Our landmark Renters' Rights Bill will ensure that landlords are only able to increase rents once a year to the market rate, and tenants will be able to challenge unreasonable rent increases through the first-tier Tribunal. 'This will prevent unscrupulous landlords using rent increases as a backdoor means of eviction, while ensuring rents can be increased to a fair rate.'
Telegraph
27-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Landlords on the hook for ‘thousands' after Labour's rent reforms U-turn
Landlords face paying hundreds of pounds to fix property damage caused by tenants' pets after a Labour U-turn. A tabled amendment to the Renters' Rights Bill has reversed a previous pledge to allow landlords to require tenants to take out insurance to cover pet damage. The legislation, which is passing through the Lords, will ban 'no-pet' tenancies. This means landlords will have to accept renters with pets unless they have a good reason not to. Angela Rayner had promised that landlords would be able to require tenants with pets to take out insurance. The Housing Secretary previously said that this would mean 'no one is left unfairly out of pocket'. However, the amendment, tabled this week by Baroness Taylor on behalf of the Government, would reverse this commitment. Chris Norris, of the National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA), said the about-turn had 'betrayed' landlords, who risked having to pay out 'hundreds or even thousands of pounds' to repair damage, as deposits are capped at five weeks' rent. He added: 'I can't fathom why the Government won't allow the landlord to take an extra deposit if they have a pet. It's now illegal for [landlords] to do that. 'This would be cheaper than insurance for the tenant and they would get it back if their pet does no damage, and give landlords reassurance.' The average claim on home insurance for pet damage is £225 per incident, according to research by price comparison site Compare the Market. The most common mishaps included ripped or stained carpets, damage to sofas, skirting boards and doors, and broken ornaments. Greg Tsuman, of estate agency Martyn Gerrard, said removing the option to require pet insurance was a 'prime example of an ill-thought-through policy' that would inevitably push up rents. He added: 'Once again, landlords are being penalised for trying to strike a fair balance between accommodating tenants and protecting their investments. 'If landlords can't offset risk, they'll build it into the base rent. The inevitable result? Higher starting rents and a market distorted by forced assumptions that every tenant will come with a pet in tow.' The Renters' Rights Bill has been dubbed the biggest overhaul of rental law in 30 years. It will end fixed-term tenancies, stop landlords from taking action against non-paying tenants for up to three months, and ban bidding wars by requiring landlords and letting agents to publish an 'asking rent' for the property. The legislation will also eliminate Section 21, otherwise known as 'no-fault evictions', for all new and existing tenancies from next summer. Instead, landlords will need to rely on Section 8 to evict a tenant, a piece of legislation undermined by long court delays. The Bill had been expected to become law this summer, but delays in the parliamentary process mean it is now not expected to gain Royal Assent until the autumn. The Government's Employment Bill has also been pushed back. Critics of the Bill have warned that it could lead to a rise in rents, as landlords sell up and flee the sector amid tougher conditions and dwindling profits. One in three landlords are now looking to sell off some or all of their rental properties, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, with just under two thirds blaming recent changes in legislation. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: 'This is a shoddy and outrageous way to make law. 'Yet again the Government simply expects responsible landlords to shoulder even greater risks without any consultation about the likely impact.' A Government spokesman said: 'Our landmark Renters' Rights Bill will bring long overdue fairness to the market and deliver much-needed reforms to the system. 'It is only fair that tenants are given the same choice to keep a pet as homeowners, and landlords will remain protected from the cost of any damage caused by pets through their existing deposits.'
