Millions of renters face health crisis due to poor housing conditions – Shelter claims

Millions of renters face health crisis due to poor housing conditions – Shelter claims

0:04 AM, 5th October 2023, About A year ago 14

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Millions of renters in England are suffering from poor mental and physical health, according to new research by Shelter.

The charity claims 40% of renters in England have experienced poor health as a result of poor property conditions in the last year.

Nearly two-thirds of tenants said their mental health had worsened due to housing worries since 2022.

Broken rental system

Campaigners are urging the government to speed up the second reading of the Renters’ Reform Bill and to scrap Section 21 evictions.

According to research by Shelter and YouGov, more than 700,000 renters in London, are suffering mental or physical problems due to the worry of being evicted.

People with disabilities are affected disproportionately by deteriorating health, with half of all disabled renters saying they had become more ill due to worrying about their living conditions, compared with 29% in the rest of the renting population.

Osama Bhutta, the director of campaigns at Shelter, said: “It is disgraceful that England’s 11 million private tenants are at the mercy of a broken rental system while politicians sit on their hands and dither over whether to make renting fairer and safer.”

Renters continue to suffer

The Shelter survey, carried out between July and August this year, exposed the financial situation facing many of England’s 11 million renters.

Almost half said they would not be able to afford where they live if their landlord increased the rent by 10%. This applied to almost two-thirds of the 1.8 million renters in London and about 60% in the south-west, south-east and north-west of England.

Mr Bhutta says the renters (reform) bill would reduce homelessness and help hold landlords to account.

He added: “The government cannot allow this bill to be held hostage by a group of landlord backbenchers while so many renters continue to suffer. It’s pivotal it gets the renters (reform) bill over the line and keeps its promise to protect the millions of people who call private renting home.”


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DAMIEN RAFFERTY

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13:09 PM, 5th October 2023, About A year ago

There are million of homeowners living in cold, poorly insulated homes without the money to pay for improments.
Maybe Shelter could incourage the government to provide more help to owner occupiers and Renters to fund energy efficiency measures.
Cavity and Loft insulation, LED lighting, double glazing, A rated boilers etc

Teessider

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10:33 AM, 6th October 2023, About A year ago

I wonder how many tenants were asked.

How does Mr Bhutta think the RRB will reduce homelessness? Will the RRB encourage more landlords to buy property which, in turn, will encourage more house builders to build more properties? Or will it reduce the U.K. population somehow?

Please show me the maths that proves that the RRB will reduce homelessness.

Too many people, too few houses. We need

JeggNegg

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23:10 PM, 6th October 2023, About A year ago

i have just googled SHELTER's Strategic Plan 2022-25

in Introduction 3rd paragraph
'Luckily the past 3 years have seen notable successes for Shelter...............emerged fighting fit from pandemic. learned much along the way about strengths and weaknesses as a team,...'.
their successes has seen an increase in homelessness?

an interesting comment 'shelter works with 1200 colleagues and 5000 volunteers who understand and share the radical intent of this strategic plan and its activist spirit.'

if you have more time than i, you might want to read the full PLAN, and make comment.
i struggle to understand why Shelter think and believe every one in England and Scotland have the given right to live in a well equipped home even if they cannot afford to pay the realistic rent. yet being in that position,
they state in section 4
'BUILDING MOMENTUM FOR SOCIAL HOUSING'
there is only one solution to the housing emergency: to ensure the homes we build are the homes our communities desperately need'
so why bash the PRS. its not our roll to build the million plus homes, blame the various GOVT for under achieving the supply of homes and allowing the UK population to spiral out of control. if landlords leave the PRS who is going to buy these properties- surely tenants rent A) because they dont want to buy or B) they cant afford to buy or get a mortgage.
shelter i think suggested they were formed in 1966, thats a long time and during that time i suggest the number of homeless has increased.

Landlord Phil

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15:01 PM, 10th October 2023, About A year ago

There are only 2 words that are important here. Claims is the first. Evidence is the second. Shelter bang on & on about poor this, substandard that, purely to justify their existence & salaries. And yet, this is a charity. Hmmm, man scratches chin.

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