Safe Homes
What’s the problem?
One in seven private rented homes are unsafe. That could mean toxic levels of mould or faulty electrics causing a fire hazard. The Grenfell Fire is a horrifying reminder of what living in an unsafe home can really mean.
What can we do?
If your home is in disrepair and your landlord isn’t listening then you can ask your council to inspect your home or take your landlord to court to demand repairs. For lots of renters, this just isn’t realistic. Whether it’s lack of money or political will, councils aren’t enforcing safety standards in homes.
Generation Rent is holding councils to account. For the past two years, we’ve been asking councils to let us know how many ‘enforcement notices’ they have sent out to private landlords asking them to make repairs. You can see some of our data here and in The Guardian here
Our data show that only a handful of councils are reliably providing tenants with this protection. If councils aren’t routinely using their powers then tenants will continue to be cowed into silence.
Secure tenancies
Click here to sign our petition
What’s the problem?
Right now families in rented homes can be kicked out with just two months notice – without any valid reason. Some end up sharing a single room in temporary accommodation while others have to move miles away from their children’s schools. It’s unfair and its perfectly legal
Renter power
Putting tenants in charge
Sign our petition to make renting more affordable
What’s the problem
Rents are too expensive – most of us are paying more than 30% of our income in rent.
For those of us that rely on housing benefit to cover our rent, it’s much worse. Housing benefit rates have been frozen since 2016, meaning that rents are eating into the rest of our income.
Not only does the cost of rent reduce your disposable income, it weakens your position as a consumer – when you’re searching for a new home you’re under pressure to accept the first suitable home you can afford because someone else will take it if you don’t.
Moving home is also expensive – renters have to find £1084 on average for the deposit alone. In many cases they will have that kind of money already – but locked away as the deposit on the house they’re moving out of.