What's the problem

Rents are too expensive - most of us are paying more than 30% of our income in rent.

For those of us that rely on housing benefit to cover our rent, it's much worse. Housing benefit rates have been frozen since 2016, meaning that rents are eating into the rest of our income.

Not only does the cost of rent reduce your disposable income, it weakens your position as a consumer - when you're searching for a new home you're under pressure to accept the first suitable home you can afford because someone else will take it if you don't.

Moving home is also expensive - renters have to find £1088 on average for the deposit alone. In many cases they will have that kind of money already - but locked away as the deposit on the house they're moving out of. 

The story so far

Generation Rent campaigned for the ban on letting fees which came into force on 1 June 2019, saving the average household £404 every time they move and ending the ludicrous annual renewal fee.

Our lobbying helped ensure that fees you can be charged are very strictly defined, deposits are capped, and you are protected from unfair practices when you put down a holding deposit.

What we are campaigning for now

Because finding a new deposit is still a huge barrier to moving home, we want the government to reform the deposit system so that you can transfer, or 'passport', some of the money to your next tenancy once you've paid your final month's rent.

Please join the campaign for deposit passporting - sign our petition

Read more about our work on deposit protection on the blog