What's the problem?
One in seven private rented homes is unsafe. That could mean harmful levels of mould or faulty electrics causing a fire hazard. Thousands of us are paying for something that could make us ill.
The story so far
Renters have the legal right to live in a safe home, but we rely on local councils to enforce the law and many of us are too intimidated by landlords to speak out.
Recent laws have given tenants the right to claim back rent from negligent landlords, or sue them. Councils can now ban landlords and add those who break the law to a national database.
Generation Rent is holding councils to account. Since 2017, we've been asking councils to tell us how many hazards they uncover and what action they take to force private landlords 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.
Prevention should be better than cure. But, aside from using independent ratings sites, there is no way for tenants to avoid the worst landlords in the first place.
What are we doing?
We are campaigning for a national register of landlords. If all landlords were required to register with a government body, then checks could be made that they were meeting minimum standards.
Do you believe that you’ve had a revenge eviction after making a formal complaint to your council? Get in touch with us and let us know by emailing Georgie: [email protected]
Read more about unsafe homes on the blog