Posts with tag: Shelter

Shelter calls on Government to act on repossession reform promise

Published On: April 27, 2022 at 10:51 am

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Shelter calls on Government to act on repossession reform promise

Shelter has published research on repossessions in the private rented sector, calling on the Government to deliver its promise to scrap Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Its research shows that every seven minutes a private renter is served a no-fault eviction notice.

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, comments: “It’s appalling that every seven minutes another private renter is slapped with a no-fault eviction notice despite the government promising to scrap these grossly unfair evictions three years ago. It’s no wonder many renters feel forgotten.

“Millions of private renters are living in limbo – never truly able to settle – in case their landlord kicks them out on a whim. It’s a well-founded fear as our frontline services support renters all the time who are scrambling to find a home after being told to up sticks with just two months’ notice.

“With inflation and bills skyrocketing, renters desperately need a secure home as many will struggle to stump up the costs of having to move unexpectedly. To give private renters stability during a time of deep uncertainty, the government must introduce a Renters’ Reform Bill that bans no-fault evictions this year. Anything less would be a kick in the teeth for England’s 11 million private renters.”

Responding to the research, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), comments: “Shelter needs to stop its campaign of scaremongering. The vast majority of landlords do not spend their time plotting ways to get rid of their tenants for no reason.

“Official data shows that fewer than 10% of tenants who move do so because they are asked to by their landlord or letting agent. Likewise, the number of cases coming to court as a result of Section 21 notices has been falling since 2015.

“The Government has committed to abolishing Section 21 possessions, but this has got to be replaced by a system that is both fair and workable for both tenants and landlords. Simply getting rid of Section 21 on its own would, for example, make it all but impossible to take action against anti-social tenants who blight the lives of neighbours and fellow tenants.

“The NRLA has published its detailed plans for a new system that strikes the right balance. We urge Shelter to work constructively with us on these.”

UK renters could be pushed into poverty by government benefit cuts

Published On: August 19, 2021 at 8:20 am

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Categories: Tenant News

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Over 100,000 renters on Universal Credit at risk of eviction due to government cut

A joint statement warning about the impact the UK Government’s benefit cuts could have on renters has been released this week.

The Big Issue Ride Out Recession Alliance, Crisis, The Mortgage Works, Nationwide Building Society, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Propertymark, StepChange Debt Charity, and Shelter have together released this statement:

The UK Government must complete and publish a full assessment of the impact on renters of their decisions to freeze Local Housing Allowance and cut Universal Credit, which risk pushing many households into poverty, problem debt, and homelessness.

In the wake of the pandemic, we saw bold and swift action from the Government to prevent a housing debt crisis including restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents and increasing the Universal Credit Personal Allowance.

With the economic impact of the pandemic increasing the financial strain on families, across the country the number of private rented households in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit increased by 107% between February 2020 and February 2021. Over 55% of these households have a shortfall between the housing support they receive and the rent they have to pay. 

The UK Government has confirmed that where such shortfalls exist, the median amount is £100 a month. This points to a need for continued support for families and individuals to cover the cost of rents. Yet since April this year, Local Housing Allowance has been frozen in cash terms, and later this year, Universal Credit will be cut by £20 a week. 

Whilst the Institute for Fiscal Studies has described changes to Local Housing Allowance as “arbitrary and unfair” we have seen no assessment from the UK Government of the impact either of these policies will have on the capacity of recipients to cover rent payments. 

As organisations representing landlords, letting agents, tenants, people facing homelessness, and debt advice services, we are united in calling on the UK Government to complete and publish a full assessment of the impact of both of these policies on the ability of renters to meet their housing costs.

We believe that the UK Government should reverse its decisions to cut Universal Credit and to freeze Local Housing Allowance. To apply policies like these without doing any meaningful impact assessment is, we argue, lacking the necessary foresight and consideration of the impact they will have on people’s security of tenure and well-being and for many will threaten their chance of recovery.

Chancellor called on to tackle the UK rent debt crisis

Published On: February 18, 2021 at 9:07 am

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Categories: Tenant News

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Arrears and void periods hit lowest level for six years

A joint statement has been made by The Big Issue Ride Out Recession Alliance, Crisis, Citizens Advice, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Money Advice Trust, The Mortgage Works, National Residential Landlords Association, Nationwide Building Society, Propertymark, StepChange Debt Charity, and Shelter.

The statement calls on the Chancellor to take action in order to tackle the rent debt crisis:

“At least half a million private renters are in arrears due to the economic impact of COVID-19. The UK Government’s own research shows that ‘private renters report being hardest hit by the pandemic’.

“Renters and landlords whose finances have been affected since lockdown cannot keep tenancies going without additional financial support.

“We welcome many of the measures taken to date, which have helped to sustain tenancies in the short term. But they do not go far enough to adequately protect renters going forward.

“The longer the Chancellor waits to take action, the more rent debts will increase, and the greater the risk of homelessness will become. Without additional support, more renters will lose their homes in the coming months, with the risk of an increase in homelessness.

“As organisations with the aim of sustaining tenancies wherever possible we consider that this requires two things in the forthcoming Budget.

“First, a targeted financial package to help renters pay off arrears built since lockdown measures started in March last year. This will help to sustain existing tenancies and keep renters in their homes – whilst also ensuring rental debt does not risk them finding homes in the future.

“Secondly, we need a welfare system that provides renters with the security of knowing that they can afford their homes. The pandemic has shown how vital this is to providing security at a time of crisis. The Government increased Universal Credit and Housing Benefit because it recognised that the system was not doing enough to support people in the first place, yet it has chosen to freeze Housing Benefit rates again from April and is considering cutting Universal Credit at the same time. It cannot be right that these measures could be pulled away from renters during continued economic uncertainty.

“We urge the Chancellor to act now to avoid renters being scarred by debts they have no hope of clearing and a wave of people having to leave their homes in the weeks and months to come.”

Many tenants living in slum-like conditions: Shelter

Published On: May 16, 2017 at 11:19 am

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An extremely concerning new report conducted from housing charity Shelter has revealed that hundreds of tenants are living in slum-like conditions.

The charity suggests that many renters are being plagued by damp, mould, infestations and electrical faults within their rental accommodation.

Concerns

In order to compile the report, Shelter, alongside You Gov, took statements from 300 tenants across large urban regions.

31% of these tenants expressed their concerns over damp and mould. 16% said that they had faulty electricity within their rental property.

One particular respondent claimed that the damp in his accommodation caused damage to his clothing.

He said: ‘I have been living in awful conditions in this flat. There’s a lot of mould on the walls and all over the furniture. I’ve had to throw away my clothes and go to the doctors because I’ve been ill with chest infections from breathing in the mould.’[1]

Many tenants living in slum-like conditions: Shelter

Many tenants living in slum-like conditions: Shelter

Damp Issues

It is imperative for landlords and tenants like to be aware of the risks that damp brings. There are a number of residential damp elimination and preventative measures that can be taken in order to eliminate these risks.

Stuart Cavanagh, Head of HR at Novus Property Solutions, believes tenants should become more informed on the dangers of damp and how to protect their rental properties.

Mr Cavanagh, addressing tenants, said: ‘The majority of renters are fortunate enough to have helpful, professional landlords who will see to complaints immediately. These are principles, however, that not all landlords work by. In such cases, it sadly falls onto the tenant to make better preparations and understand how to protect the property. In the long-run, being better informed will not only help you appeal to your landlord, it will also prepare you for future renting and dealings with landlords in general.’[1]

‘The health risks are very real, with children and those suffering respiratory ailments most susceptible – an informed approach is the best preventative measure. Know what to look for, and take action accordingly.’[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/shelter-a-third-of-uk-tenants-living-in-slum-like-conditions.html

Over one in four homes in is an unacceptable standard

Published On: October 17, 2016 at 10:05 am

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A shocking new survey from Shelter has revealed that over one in four homes in the UK do not hit acceptable living standards.

The charity’s new Living Home Standard looks at features such as cleanliness, safety, affordability and space.

Problems

Worryingly, the report found that affordability was the greatest issue and that people should be able to, ‘live and thrive’ in homes, not just ‘get by.’

Prime Minister Theresa May has recently said that the Government is to prioritise housing, doubling its affordable housing budget.

Shelter compiled the Living Home Standard through a series of workshops and questionnaires. The charity also received support from British Gas.

Measurements of homes hitting acceptable living standards were based on results from a survey of 1,961 adults across the UK.

Standards

The Living Home Standard measures five elements according to specific criteria. The concept of space was measured for example by having a sufficient number of bedrooms for the household, and having space for everyone to spend time in the same room together.

Other aspects of space include outdoor room and the amount of space children and adults have to work.

These five elements of the Living Home Standard were measured on:

Affordability: Factors such as how much money is left for peoples’ essentials following rental or mortgage payments

Living conditions: Assessing replies for words such as ‘warm’ and ‘secure’ when asking the participants to describe their home.

Space: Sufficient space was seen as critical for mental and social wellbeing

Stability: This was seen as the extent to which people feel that they can turn their property into a home.

Neighbourhood: Residing in an area where people feel safe and secure was also seen as very important. Living close to work, family and friends was also an important measurement.

Over one in four homes in is an unacceptable standard

Over one in four homes in is an unacceptable standard

Cutbacks

Of the five criteria, 27% of homes failed at least one of the affordability specifications. Shelter revealed that 24% of people were not able to save anything for unexpected outgoings after paying rent or mortgages. 23% worry about their rent or mortgage charges becoming unaffordable should they rise even slightly.

18% of people could not meet their housing fees if they did not cutback on essentials like food or heating. 20% said they have to cut back on social activities in order to meet costs.

In addition, over one in ten people live in homes that do not hit space criteria. This was particularly bad for renters in social housing. One in five said that space was inadequate, while one in four said that they did not feel in control of how long they could stay in their property.

Heart-breaking

Shelter has called for more stable rental contracts, lasting for at least five years to protect tenants against rent increases.

Chief executive of Shelter, Campbell Robb said: ‘It’s heart-breaking to think that so many people are having to make a choice between paying the rent and putting food on the table, or living in fear that any drop in income would leave them unable to cover their housing costs.’[1]

‘The sad truth is that far too many people in Britain right now are living in homes that just aren’t up to scratch – from the thousands of families forced to cope with poor conditions, to a generation of renters forking out most of their income on housing each month and unable to save for the future,’ he added.[1]

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37655908

 

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

Published On: September 23, 2016 at 10:20 am

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A shocking new report has revealed that more than one million tenants across England have been the victim of a rogue landlord during the past twelve months.

This means that roughly one in eight renters have encountered issues with landlords breaking the law, according to housing charity Shelter.

Issues

Shelter’s research came from a YouGov poll of 3,250 tenants and returned worrying results.

Issues highlighted included landlords entering homes without consent, deposits not being sufficiently protected, renters being abused or harassed and discrimination on grounds of race, nationality or gender.

Further details from the report suggest that 64,000 people have had their utilities cut off by rogue landlords. 50,000 are predicted to have had their belongings thrown out or the locks on their property changed.

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

One million tenants victims of rogue landlords in past year

Unacceptable

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the National Landlords Association noted: ‘these figures highlight serious issues that are simply unacceptable but our research with tenants shows that 82% say they are happy with their current landlord. Furthermore, Shelter’s figures show the vast majority of landlords to be law abiding.’[1]

Danielle Goodwin, helpline advisor at Shelter, said: ‘every day at Shelter we speak to people at the end of their tether after a law-breaking landlord has caused chaos in their lives.’[1]

‘These range from instances where the renter has been unaware of their rights, to cases where renters are exploited and subjected to terrible experiences by a minority of law-breaking landlords.’[1]

More cause for concern came from the National Landlords Association’s quarterly poll of its members. Results of this poll show that three out of ten UK landlords has been verbally or physically abused by their tenants.

[1] http://www.itv.com/news/2016-09-23/one-million-renters-suffer-under-rogue-landlords/