The £9bn that taxpayers are showering on private landlords every year does nothing to make housing more affordable. Perversely, this cash actually fuels the housing bubble, which drives up rents, forcing more people to seek Housing Benefit. At the same time it pays for the worst quality housing, with no checks from the DWP on living conditions, putting vulnerable people in the hands of the most exploitative, predatory landlords.
Generation Rent is calling for a register of landlords to ensure that tenants can take action against predatory landlords, and an ambitious programme of housebuilding to bring down the cost of renting.
