Affordability is the main issue the proposed rent legislation fails to tackle

• WE very much support the London mayor’s desire to make London an “age-friendly” city but, having just read a research report produced by the charity Independent Age called Hidden Renters, we doubt this will be the case for many of the capital’s older private renters, unless we see some much needed change.

The report focuses on what it calls “The unseen faces of the older rental wave”, and we challenge anybody to read it and not be shocked..

It states, among other things, that: “25 per cent of older private renters experience long-term poverty – that is, poverty for seven to nine years in a nine-year period” and “37 per cent of older private renters experience relative income poverty after housing costs”.

It also highlights the fact that: “more than one in five private renters aged 65 or over in England felt uncomfortable raising concerns with their landlord” and “70 per cent of private renters aged 65 or over in England say they would find it difficult to find an alternative property if they had to move”.

So, can anything be done about this?

Although the Renters (Reform) Bill, which is currently struggling its way through parliament, is a far from perfect piece of legislation, we believe it could begin to address some of the issues raised in this report, particularly regarding the use of section 21 “no-fault evictions”, which are often used to remove tenants who complain to their landlord or agent.

However, we’ve also repeatedly said that security of tenure is only as good as your ability to pay the rent, and affordability is the major issue that the proposed legislation fails to tackle in any meaningful way, due mainly to pressure being brought to bear from private landlords both inside and outside of parliament.

Again, due to pressure from landlords, the government has now said: “Implementation of the new system will not take place until we judge sufficient progress has been made to improve the courts. That means we will not proceed with the abolition of section 21, until reforms to the justice system are in place”.

Given that it will take a lot of time and money to make the courts system “fit for purpose”, creating an age-friendly London from a private renting perspective, seems to us a very long way off indeed.

ROBERT TAYLOR
Organiser
Camden Federation of Private Tenants