A “struggling” unemployed Leeds man claims he has been priced out of his shared house and has hit out at the “hostile” public sector across the UK.
English graduate Rohan Prasad-Weitz, 24, dropped out of his master’s course at the University of York during the pandemic and has “drifted” in and out of jobs ever since, unable to find a secure foothold. He’s more recently been “priced out” of his home in Burley where he’s been paying £390 a month.
His landlord told him he’d have to pay £100 more in rent, three months ago. Rohan has been struggling ever since to find somewhere nearby that’s more affordable. With mortgage rates rising in recent months, this has seen private landlords increasing rent fees.
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Making a point about the living crisis, Rohan, who’s originally from Norwich, spoke of how “30 years ago” someone even from his “privileged” background would be able to find a council house with ease – but this is no longer the case.
Rohan said: “I’m going to have to leave the house I’m living in. My rent is currently £390 a month including but it’s going up to £490. This was about three months ago.
“Thirty years ago, even someone like me who is relatively privileged would be able to get a council house or a flat, even if it was just for a few months. I’m not saying I should but people in the direst need have to compete over homes and it creates a very unpleasant culture.”
Rohan joined union ACORN, which advocates on behalf of low and moderate income households, and has become the treasurer of Leeds branch. He was protesting with the union outside of Leeds Civic Hall on Wednesday (February 22). He wants second properties to be more taxed more and for this added to income to go towards building more council homes.
The 24-year-old added: “Over the last few years, as a young person I’ve been struggling to try and navigate through the rising rents and increasingly hostile and closed off public sector.
“I grew up in a nice situation with my parents compared to a lot of people I went to at uni. I can’t say I’ve personally known poverty in the same way, but I’ve witnessed a lot of people in different situations. Plus, I’ve seen how it creates huge divide psychologically. I can’t say I truly know [poverty].
“Those sorts of psychological divides are epitomised in the way we carve up our living spaces and stuff like that.”
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