0:05 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago 33
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London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for an immediate two-year rent freeze AND a ban on section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions in London to help 160,000 Londoners who are behind on their rent.
His call comes as a survey from City Hall reveals that 30% of private renters in the capital are struggling financially – and 24% of tenants are struggling to pay their rent.
The survey found that 6% of renters have fallen behind in rent over the past six months.
The Greater London Authority says there are 2.7m Londoners in the private rented sector – so Mr Khan says that means 650,000 are struggling with their rent and 160,000 have fallen behind with payments.
One of the problems, Mr Khan says, is that the average rent in the capital is now £2,500 per month.
As a result, the Mayor has repeated his call on the Government to urgently introduce a two-year rent freeze in London to ease the burden on renters as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
He also wants section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions to be banned ‘without delay’.
Mr Khan said: “With astronomical rents, bills and the cost of household essentials rising, many London renters are only just about managing – and the situation is getting worse.
“More and more people are now at risk of being evicted.
“That’s why it has never been more urgent for the Government to implement an immediate two-year rent freeze in the capital and give me the power to introduce a system of rent controls that works for London.”
Mr Khan continued: “While the publication of the Government’s long-overdue Renters’ Reform Bill is a positive step forward, my message to ministers is that they must also take action now to make rents more affordable as a matter of urgency.
“As we work to build a better, fairer London for everyone, I’ll continue to stand up for renters in our city and do all I can to help them pay their rent and keep their homes.”
The Mayor also points to May’s Homelet rental data index which reveals that new tenancies in London cost a tenant 36% on average of their household income on rent – that’s 5% higher than the national average.
Also, the average new tenancy rent has rocketed since the pandemic with Rightmove data revealing that the average advertised rent in the capital reached £2,501 a month in March.
He says this is ‘unsustainable’ and leaves tenants unable to afford rent and losing their home.
A City Hall analysis say there were 3,630 households facing homelessness in London last year after receiving a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction notice.
Mr Khan is also calling for social and council rented housing, more first-time buyer homes, London’s high renting costs to be reflected in the welfare system and a ‘fundamental reform’ of the PRS to provide secure and safe homes.
The director of Generation Rent, Ben Twomey, said: “If London can’t provide homes for the people who want to live here, that’s a disaster not only for the city, but the country as a whole.
“People are being forced to move away from their families, others cannot take up job offers, and more of us are compromising by accepting overcrowded accommodation just to have a bed that lets us live here.”
He added: “Renters in London are at a very high risk of being evicted so landlords can sell or put the rent up.
“The Renters’ Reform Bill could make a huge difference to their security of tenure, but it needs to ensure bad landlords can’t continue exploiting tenants and include better protections for tenants who face eviction for reasons beyond their control.”
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We recognise people are facing pressures in the private rented sector, which is why we introduced the Renters’ Reform Bill in May, delivering a fairer deal for renters and empowering them to challenge unjustified rent increases and banning Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.
“Evidence shows that rent controls in the private sector do not work, as they lead to declining standards, a lack of investment and may encourage illegal subletting.”
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Trevormlazenbury@aol.co.uk
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Sign Up10:23 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
Rising interest rates and due to the s24 landlords can have a sizeable tax bill even though they have no profits....
And now the suggestion of a two year rent freeze!
Churchills Tax Advisers
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Sign Up10:24 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
I assume this will be combined with a 2 year freeze on interest rates, withdrawal of any regulations that result in landlords incurring additional costs, legislation to ensure that landlords can quickly and easily recover properties from tenants in breach of their tenancy agreements, etc.
Was that a pig I just saw fly past?
jbw63
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Sign Up10:41 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
What Khan is demanding fundamentally doesn't make financial sense. Landlord expenses have gone up. Mortgage rates have gone up and tax relief withdrawn so many landlords are now running operations in a negative and wanting to sell up.
It is not rent that needs freezing, it is instead the LHA rates that Khan needs to be campaigning to revised and levelled-up and reset so that they are always index linked in line with inflation (this should be done from the point when the Tory's first 'froze' the LHA's in order to make any viable economic sense of affordably (note Bristol example below). The LHA rates need to be set at a rate that private housing is 'affordable' for people (especially those on benefits), because the real issue is successive governments have spectacularly failed to provide suitable social housing, so private landlords are providing that service instead.
In Bristol for the cheapest family houses in the cheapest areas the LHA rates are now £950pm for ex-council 3 bed house, which is £400 pm LESS than the £1,350pm private rental market so blatantly not affordable. This needs fixing urgently - yet landlords are supposed to not discriminate against those on benefits?
As the government also expects higher EPC compliance, in the coming years, maybe they should at least additionally bring back the mortgage tax relief to partly support the expenditure required.
Section 21 is a more complex completely separate debate.
Karen
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Sign Up10:53 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
He obviously wants to finish off the PRS! All other businesses are having to put up the price if their input costs go up. How are landlords any different? Maybe he should pursue a cap on groceries instead?
David Smith
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Sign Up10:58 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
Luckily it’s got nothing to do with him and this Conservative Government will never listen to him.
Sheridan Vickers
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Sign Up11:01 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
It's getting ridiculous. Landlords are getting so badly treat and blamed for everything when they're only trying to provide homes for people. This is all because the councils, shelter and the rest of the idiots don't want to deal with the BAD tenants that us landlords are trying to evict for not paying their rent or ruining our properties and getting us in debt. They just don't want the aggro and are putting the problem on landlords. Talk about making every avenue of getting rid of a tenant impossible and costly. Perhaps we should get a petition against the idiots or sue them for mental stress. Everything is sky high and mortgages are going through the roof. How do they expect us to house someone for free. We are being bullied by the rules and regs. It's a dictatorship. They've created this mess and are lying about anything and everything so they don't have to do what they're supposed to do with BAD tenants. Councils and housing associations are the worse offenders for letting bad properties yet nothing is said to them! SHAME on you Shelter, Government and local authorities. I'm a good landlord with a bad tenant and I will do all I can to get rid of the scumbag. I'm sure this is not lawful or legal what they're doing to us landlords. I hope we get to sue the idiots big time in the future for wrong doing and causing more mental stress or breakdowns when we're decent people just providing a home. FUMING
W H
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Sign Up11:15 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
Both the Tories and Labour seem to think PRS landlords have bottomless profits, to take on any extra expenses, without the need to put up rents to cover those costs.
It probably fits well with the popular perception that all PRS landlords make vast profits while screwing the poor tenant.
There is little public sympathy for the PRS landlord, so the Tories and Labour both know that hitting them is a vote winner.
The reality will be more PRS landlords leaving the sector and an even more acute housing crisis.
But politicians only think short term, i.e. the next election.
Reluctant Landlord
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Sign Up11:21 AM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
get back in your box Comrade Khan.
moneymanager
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Sign Up12:14 PM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
Ben Twomey has a massive sense of entitlement:
“The Renters’ Reform Bill could make a huge difference to their security of tenure"
Good luck with that when ALL properties are owned by mega companies like Blackrock who will treat you like a milch cow and you will have no choice.
Churchills Tax Advisers
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Sign Up12:16 PM, 23rd June 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by jbw63 at 23/06/2023 - 10:41
It's nothing to do with financial sense, solely to do with who is voting for him. My guess is that it isn't landlords!