There’s been a big jump in the number of privately rented homes in some areas of England – as ministers reveal measures to improve tenants’ rights.
The Government’s “fairer private rented sector” White Paper published on Thursday (June 16) sets out plans to improve living conditions for private renters across the country. There are 11 million people who rely on private landlords for their homes nationally, according to housing charity Shelter.
Meanwhile, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) figures show there were around 4.9 million privately rented dwellings as of March 2021 – 19.6% of all homes.
There is a lack of data on how many private renters they are in different parts of the county. However, estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were 26,529 privately rented dwellings in the London borough of Greenwich in 2020, a 36.2% rise from 19,485 in 2012.
That was the highest increase of hundreds of areas across England excluding the City of London, where the figures are likely to be skewed by the small resident population. The next steepest rise was in Tower Hamlets (28.5%), followed by St Helens (27.2%), Newham (27.1%) and Telford and Wrekin (24.3%).
In Westminster, the number rose less steeply by 7.6%, from 49,971 to 53,791, although at 42.6% of all homes in the London borough that was the highest proportion in England. In fact, the 10 areas with the highest percentages of privately rented homes were all in the capital.
One of the significant pledges in the White Paper is to ban “no-fault” section 21 evictions that allow landlords to end tenancies without giving any reason, something the Government first committed to scrap in April 2019.
DLUHC figures show that, between April 2019 and the end of last year, more than 40,000 households across England were deemed to need help with homelessness by their council after being handed a no-fault eviction notice. However, this is likely to underrepresent the issue as not everyone who receives a no-fault eviction will approach their local authority for help.
The Government’s measures, which will form part of the Renters Reform Bill, include plans to force landlords to improve substandard homes that pose a health risk to tenants. There are also proposals to end unjustified rent increases, stop landlords from refusing to rent to families with children or benefit claimants, and make it easier for renters to have pets.
Announcing the measures, Levelling Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove said: “For too long many private renters have been at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords who fail to repair homes and let families live in damp, unsafe and cold properties, with the threat of unfair ‘no fault’ eviction orders hanging over them.
“Our New Deal for renters will help to end this injustice by improving the rights and conditions for millions of renters as we level up across the country and deliver on the people’s priorities.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said the Bill was a “gamechanger” for England’s private renters.
She added: “Scrapping unfair evictions will level the playing field. For the first time in a long time, tenants will be able to stand up to bad behaviour instead of living in fear. This White Paper promises people safety and security in their home, and it makes clear that landlords need to play by the rules.
“Gone will be the days of families being uprooted and children forced to move school after being slapped with a Section 21 no-fault eviction for no good reason. As these plans move through Parliament, they’ve got to keep their teeth to drive up standards and professionalise private renting.
“For every renter trapped in a never-ending nightmare of moving from one shoddy rental to the next, the Renters’ Reform Bill cannot come soon enough.”
Alicia Kennedy, director of campaign group Generation Rent, also welcomed the proposals but said she was “disappointed” that the rules around no-fault evictions would allow landlords to evict tenants to sell or move family in.
She added: “The government proposals still mean a renter could be evicted every eight months due to no fault of their own.”
