Between October and November 2024, we surveyed 957 people who were private renters. This includes people with tenancies from before 1997 (who operate under a slightly different system from more recent tenancies), tenancies after 1997, lodgers and people with licenses or who live in temporary accommodation. 852 participants were private tenants with tenancies after 1997. We have done a deep dive into this latter group, to find out more about UK private renters’ experiences and opinions are on renting.
2025 is an extremely important year for renters. Especially with the Renters’ Right Bill progressing through Parliament, it’s a very exciting time to be a renter and big changes are coming which are set to rebalance an unfair system.
With that in mind, here are our top five take aways for renting as we look to 2025 and beyond.
1. Evictions don’t appear to be increasing in the run-up to reform
Despite many warnings from various landlord groups, we are yet to see an increase in the proportion of evictions taking place, even as the Renters’ Rights Bill (RRB) makes significant progress and awaits Committee Stage in the House of Lords.
In England, almost one in five (18%) of respondents reported that their landlord had asked them to leave within the last 12 months of completing the survey, matching similar levels to our previous four surveys, going back to July 2022. This is broken down by 13% of respondents being served with a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction, 2% with a Section 8 eviction (where the landlord has to provide a reason) and 3% being asked to leave without a formal notice. Again, this is a similar breakdown to previous years.
(July 2022 n= 1036, Nov 2022 n=1017, Jul 2024 n=1021, Feb 2024 n= 906, Oct 2024 n=852)
There are, of course, still concerns. 13% of private tenants being threatened with eviction is still high – how can you feel safe and secure in your home if there is a 1 in 8 chance that your landlord will ask you to leave in the next year?
Well, that’s the principal purpose of the Renters’ Rights Bill, which will finally end Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. This will help renters enormously to feel safe in our homes and to be able to fully use our rights, safe from revenge evictions when landlords want to get rid of complaining tenants, or economic evictions when they simply want a higher rent.
However, landlords will still be able to evict their tenants if they want to sell the property or move themselves or their family in. Some respondents shared the reasons that their landlord had asked them to leave and nearly half said they intended to sell. In these evictions, where the tenant has done nothing wrong, the landlord should waive the final two months of rent, to give tenants the compensation required for expensive moves.
Regardless of the protections tenants get, a big test of the government’s new tenancy system will be how much our 15% figure comes down by in future surveys. Some landlords may misuse eviction grounds to kick out one tenant to replace them with a higher paying one. Thanks to our campaigning there will be restrictions on re-letting properties if the landlord intends to sell or move in, and compensation for tenants affected. But we still need measures from the government to make this as easy as possible for tenants and councils to enforce.
2. Rent rises remain as prominent as ever, but it’s not because landlords are struggling more
The majority of renters, 61%, reported that their landlord had asked them to pay a higher rent in the past 12 months before completing the survey. This compares to 67% in February 2024 and 61% in July 2023. The median proportion of income spent on rent for private renters overall was 39%. 30% is considered affordable, meaning that most tenants are being forced to pay unaffordable rents. In-tenancy rent rises are big contributors to rents being made unaffordable. Of those who said their landlord had increased their rent in the past 12 months, the median rent increase represented 9% of their rent, roughly the same rent inflation figure that the ONS’s index found at this point in time.
It’s safe to bet that, as a renter, you can expect a rent increase most years of being in a tenancy. In theory, this isn’t a problem if your wages are exceeding, or at least keeping up, with these rises. However, this is not the case for many renters, because a landlord can increase the rent as much as they like. In theory they can’t raise it higher than the going market rent on a new tenancy for a similar home, but not all tenants have the bargaining power to stop that.
The median monthly rent increase was £80, while 48% of respondents reported an increase of £100 or over and about 1 in 7 (14%) an increase of £250 or more. These are extremely high costs to be adding to the monthly outgoings at any time, let alone during a persistent cost-of-living crisis. Worse still, steep rent increases have also been on the up over the last few years.
(July 2022 n= 1036, Nov 2022 n=1017, Jul 2024 n=1021, Feb 2024 n= 906, Oct 2024 n=852)
In July 2022, 9% of renters reported a rent rise of over £100. But, in October 2024, this figure increased to almost a quarter (24%) of all renters, almost a threefold increase. Although the situation is still tough for renters, there has been a slight rise in the proportion of renters not facing an increase since February 2024, which may indicate the worst rises are behind us.
The most common reason that renters reported their landlord had been given for their rent increases, was not because of increased costs on their end, or that they were struggling more, it was simply because of the rising rewards of “the market”. Almost a third (31%) of landlords had blamed higher market rents, while a further 7% stated that the increase was because of letting agent advice (which is likely to relate to increased market rates – agents after all get a fatter commission if the rent goes up). Only 15% of landlords blamed the rising cost-of-living and 11% higher mortgage payments. 30% meanwhile did not even justify the increase with a reason.
(July 2022 n= 1036, Nov 2022 n=1017, Jul 2024 n=1021, Feb 2024 n= 906, Oct 2024 n=852)
There does appear to have been an overall drop in the proportion of landlords requesting rent increases compared to February 2024 – with landlords less likely to ask for higher rents because of higher mortgage payments, the rising cost of living and higher market rates than they were seen months before this survey was taken.
It is completely unfair that landlords are able to increase rents to effectively unlimited amounts – higher than the increased cost of living, higher than wages. The Renters’ Rights Bill offers an opportunity to put a stop to this and should act to stop renters bring priced out of our own homes.
3. Renters are struggling against obstacles to access new homes
Landlords have in the past few years been adding increasing barriers to tenants from accessing new tenancies. Requests for guarantors, have been increasing year on year. 26% of renters who had moved over five years ago had faced a guarantor demand. This rose to 28% for those who last moved three to five years ago, 34% one to three years ago, and 39% within the last year. This is a 50% increase in guarantor requests.
But fewer demands for guarantors, especially when there is no need for one such as cases where tenants can reasonably afford the rent, would greatly improve tenants’ abilities to find safe and secure homes.
Almost a quarter (24%) of renters who had moved within a year also reported that they had been asked for multiple months of rent upfront. This has remained relatively consistent over the last five years. Happily, the Renters’ Rights Bill is set to ban upfront demands for rent, which will be a huge improvement for renters when looking for somewhere new to move to.
Requests for tenants to bid for properties – i.e. say what the most they were willing to pay, to secure the property – were also concerningly high. Although people who had moved in the last year reported this less than those who had moved one to three years ago (shrinking slightly from 24% to 17%), it still remains much higher than renters who were moving in previous years. Only 6% of people who had moved three to five years ago, and 4% of people who had moved over five years ago reported that they had been asked to bid for a home.
Renters also indicated in the survey that they were extremely resistant to participating in rental bidding wars. Participants were also asked separately what they would do if an agent encouraged them to bid for a property. Not only did 42% of participants say that they would offer only the asking rent anyway, but another 39% stated that they would walk away from the potential tenancy altogether. Only 19% of participants said that they would offer a higher rent, and that was only if they could afford to.
Ultimately, bidding is a deeply unfair and stressful practice. Its continued prevalence in the market indicates that, if landlords were allowed to have their way, they would remain a part of renting for many people. But the Renters’ Rights Bill will be banning it completely, another big win for renters.
Similarly, renters having to attend viewings with multiple potential tenants at the same time and renters being asked to provide things like photos, CVs or personal statements were reported by fewer respondents who had moved in the last year compared to those who had moved one to three years ago, but still remain significantly higher than in previous years.
17% of respondents who had moved in the last year stated that they had to attend a viewing with multiple tenants, and 15% that they’d had to provide CVs, photos or a personal statement. This compares to 10% for both obstacles being reported by renters who had last moved over five years ago. This indicates that, while the market may have cooled down slightly in the past year, in the long-term, landlords have only been increasing barriers for tenants over the past five years or more.
(July 2022 n= 1036, Nov 2022 n=1017, Jul 2024 n=1021, Feb 2024 n= 906, Oct 2024 n=852)
In the October 2024 survey it took over a third (37%) of renters more than two months to find a new tenancy the last time they moved. While the Renters’ Rights Bill is, again, set to give tenants more breathing space in moves, extending the time landlords must give renters to leave from two to four months, long periods of time required to find new homes are often a sign that there are not enough homes for people to move into. This will remain an issue until the government increases the number of affordable and social homes available.
4. Renters are optimistic about the upcoming reforms… but they still want more
The upcoming reforms, being introduced by the Renters’ Rights Bill, are extremely popular amongst private renters. 83% said that the removal of Section 21 evictions was the top level of importance to them. 69% said that is would have a positive impact on their lives, with almost half (49%) saying that it would have a “very positive” impact. 68% said that it would make it more likely that they would challenge unfair rent rises, 62% that they would tell the landlord about tenancy issues, and 60% that they would contact their local council about issues with the home. These are extremely positive numbers and indicate that renters are already looking forward to being able to use more of their rights and to feel more empowered once Section 21 finally ends.
Participants were also asked what they thought the most common reason for landlords evicting tenants currently was. Almost a quarter (24%) stated that they thought the most common reason will be reletting the home at a higher rent, followed by 22% who believed it was to sell the property, 18% due to tenants complaining about problems the landlord did not want to fix, 11% because of rent arrears, and 7% so that the landlord or their family can move in. Finally, only 4% believed it would be because of antisocial behaviour from tenants, and 2% another breach from the tenant.
Beyond ending Section 21, renters were even more positive about another key change that could improve their lives… rent restrictions. Participants were asked to imagine if the government introduced a rent cap which limited the amount a landlord could raise the rent, using the lowest out of wage growth and inflation. Then they were asked how important this would be to them. 86% said that the introduction of rent controls would be the top level of importance to them, with 86% also saying that it would have a positive impact on their lives, and almost three quarters (73%) saying that it would have a “very important” impact. Governments dream of policies which are so popular amongst such a large group of people and are essentially free to enact, and here one is. Unfortunately, it is not currently in the Bill.
Rent restrictions would do a world of good in stopping unfair rent rises and keeping renters in their homes that landlords cannot price them out of. The government should look to the Renters’ Rights Bill to stop in-tenancy rent restrictions increasing faster than wages and the cost of living.
5. Change is on the way, but we still need you to continue the fight!
The Renters’ Rights Bill is set to do a lot of good for private renters. Ending Section 21 evictions will give entire generations a new security in their homes, like they have never felt before. However, it could, and should, go further.
The government must:
- Introduce rent restrictions ending unfair rent rises. These would limit in-tenancy rent rises to whichever was lowest out of inflation and wage rises, meaning that rents could not outpace the cost-of-living or peoples’ wages.
- Bring in tenant relocation relief in “landlord intention” evictions. When upfront costs, deposits (set at five weeks’ rent) and time off work are all considered, it costs the average renter household £2216 to move home. In evictions where the tenant is not at fault, the final two months’ worth of rent should be waived by landlords so that renters are better able to save to cover moving and relocation costs.
- Put restrictions on guarantor requirements for renters looking for a new home. While guarantors can be a way for some renters to access new homes, landlords should not be able to demand guarantors if they are not needed. Therefore, the government must restrict the scenarios in which a landlord can legitimately request a guarantor to those in which a prospective tenant cannot prove that the rent is affordable to them.
- Make sure landlords file eviction notices with the new database to prevent misuse. Since Scotland introduced Private Residential Tenancy agreements in 2017, 1 in 5 properties were still registered as being let on the property database after a sales ground was used. Stronger measures, therefore, need to be put in place to tackle potential abuse of these grounds.
- Build more affordable homes and more social homes. There aren’t enough homes in the UK. We need more affordable homes and social homes, they need to be in places where people want to live, and they need to be adapted to peoples’ needs, including Disabled people’s.
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