HOUSING CAMPAIGNERS LAUNCH NEW RENTERS’ MANIFESTO
Can’t afford to move out of your parents’ place – or sharing an overpriced, grubby, private rental shoebox? Good news – the voices of cash-strapped graduates still living with their parents or renting expensive, poor quality flats are finally being heard.
Housing campaign group Generation Rent has just launched a new Renters’ Manifesto asking politicians to address UK tenants’ biggest concerns. The blueprint explains plans to address these common problems experienced by many of Graduate Fog’s readers:
Crazy prices – Renting is too simply too expensive, with demand for properties seriously outstripping supply, pushing up prices. Many graduates doing low-paid work, unpaid internships or zero-hours contracts are finding it impossible to make ends meet
Massive rent hikes – There is currently no cap on rent increases, and some landlords use big price rises these as a way to push out existing tenants (charming)
Dodgy landlords and letting agents – Tenants are given rigorous reference checks, but private landlords and the agents who let their properties have to do very little to prove they are trustworthy and professional. Why?
Grotty accommodation – Right now, landlords can rent out their properties without certifying that they are safe and free from damp, mould and rats (yuck)
No security – Too many people are renting on short-term contracts when they would prefer to have a longer tenancy
Super-short notice periods – which mean tenant have to undergo the upheaval (and cost) of moving with little or not time to plan or budget
Graduate Fog expects the Renters’ Manifesto to be popular with readers – as you tell us regularly that you hate being financially dependent on your parents. At the launch of the Renters’ Manifesto, Alex Hilton, director of Generation Rent, said:
“Private renting has hit the political agenda in a a way that hasn’t been seen for a generation.
“Across the UK right now, tenants face eviction from their homes at short notice and for no reason, with little time to work out where they’ll go next. Private renting is poorly regulated and amateur and ignorant landlords cause many of the problems in the sector.
“If anyone can easily set up business as a letting agent with almost no checks or vetting, it is unsurprising that tenants often report bad experiences when trying to rent a home.
Private renters are also finding themselves priced out of areas where they want to live and work. Across much of Britain, particularly London and the South East, many simply cannot afford to pay the rent with the wages they earn. This leads to a spiralling benefits bill, going straight into the pockets of landlords. The whole economy stumbles and falls if people of all incomes and positions cannot live near where they can work.”
The Renters’ Manifesto calls for all political parties to commit to backing a series of simple, sensible plans to make the rental market fairer for tenants, including tougher regulation for landlords and a ban on letting agent fees for tenants (so no more mystery £500 ‘admin’ charges). Knowing that housing is a major concern for our thousands of Graduate Fog’s readers, we will continue to keep you up to date with Generation Rent’s brilliant campaign.
*WHERE ARE YOU LIVING – AND WHAT IS IT LIKE?
What is your top gripe about the private rental market? Are you living with your parents and desperately struggling to save up for a deposit to rent a flat? Or have you had problems with a dodgy landlord?
I’ve been living with my parents since graduating. I very naively assumed that the rental market in my home town would be similar in terms of supply and price to my uni town. Boy was I wrong.
I’m looking at almost half my take home pay just for a room and the other problem is that when you are not in a studenty area there isn’t a lot of choice in places to rent. I know of some colleagues that found themselves living with inappropriate people; its one thing being kept up all night and rowing with flatmates when you are a student, when you work 40 hours a week you don’t have time for that kind of drama.
Living with my parents is a drag but they don’t intimidate me or keep me up all night.
I agree with Catherine that I wouldn’t want to live with strangers up at all hours. If I couldn’t afford my own flat, I would definitely live with my parents. But then again they live centrally about an hour’s commute to Glasgow and Edinburgh; it’d be different if they lived in the middle of nowhere!
More generally for this article, does any of this really apply to living with parents? The headline suggests this is relevant to those who do but the rest of the article focuses on private lets. I don’t think any of the 6 problems you raised apply! Perhaps what you mean is that people who currently live at home will be better able to move on under these new rules?
You also mention mystery admin charges. My understanding was these were already illegal – there was a campaign by charity Shelter for tenants to reclaim any charge that was required to secure accommodation. If this article applies only to England/Wales, perhaps you should make this clear.
I know this is a blog and not journalism but a bit of clarity wouldn’t go amiss!
@Fiona – Sorry you felt this post was a little unclear! You are right that the link to living with your parents was the affordability element – ie that many graduates (even those in work) are finding they can’t afford to move out into a place of their own.
On admin charges, my understanding is that they are still legal and in operation. The Renters’ Manifesto says “A modern-day, and very expensive feature of private renting is the huge fees paid to letting agents for services that are often unclear and overcharged. These can range from ‘administration’ through to drawing up contracts and putting together an inventory. There is no standard process across the industry and with fees sometimes close to £1,000 for new tenants, they are comlpetely out of proportion to the services offered. When a tenant moves, or even when they sign a new contract on the same property, the process is often repeated and more fees are charged.
“Letting agent fees for tenants should be banned. The service that agents provide is in finding new tenants for a landlord who wants to let out their property and the charge should be placed there. Landlords are in a much better market and economic position to negotiate fees downwards, leading to lower fees across the industry and a better letting service as agents compete on delivery and professionalism to win landlords’ business.”
@Tanya
The law here in Scotland is different. According to the Scottish Government website:
“…under the Rent (Scotland Act) 1984, landlords and their agents can legally charge rent and a deposit only when granting a tenancy.”
(http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/08/Tenants-Charges26082012)
The keyword here being ‘only’. They cannot charge fees for administration, credit checks or anything else.
Your article therefore refers only to outside Scotland and you should make that clear… unless of course you only represent English graduates.
Welcome to the real world…..in debt and back with mum and dad. What has your degree been really for?
Currently renting in Manchester. Rent is cheap where I live but ‘admin fees’ have been a problem (been charged these for every place I’ve renting even when renewing contract in same flat). I’ve used 2 different letting agencies and its the same story. Also, as was pointed out previously they are incredibly fussy about obtaining credit checks, references etc but apparently no such checking for landlords. Both flats I’ve rented have been damp.
Current flat is the worst for damp (I can’t really move as I can’t afford to pay more rent what with paying back post-graduate loans etc). The flat has no proper heating, the walls have mould on (bathroom ceiling is gross and occasionally leaks water from flat above). The landlord has been told but he does nothing except occasionally come and nail some board over the damp bits (I kid you not).
I am planning on moving when I can secure more stable employment but from talking to others, it seems damp occurs in many rental places, even the ones that charge much higher rent. It seems to be a pretty widespread problem.
I believe there should be much greater regulation of landlords, the properties should be checked or something before they’re allowed to let them. Because they’re very good at covering up these problems when you view the property so its easy to get caught out and many people simply can’t afford to be choosy or can’t find better accommodation in the area they want (transport costs are also an issue when you’re trying to get to work).
Rant over.
I simply
cannot affords big big rents its takes most of my wages on that one bill alone, how am i expected to live anywhere.
Only i can get is these tiny tiny tiny rooms even those are expensive, too its about greed of making money but big vasts sums of money quickly.
It use to be about families, but not arrogance and fast buck culture, has over run peoples lives, as soon as you get settled in they up the price and you are back out on the street, last time i had to sell most of my home to re raise the funds had just a year ago and sell my car also to get more funds to move again and deposit and rents and fee,s and additional fees.
I tell you life just sleep and be some where warm is also now abused, you can,t trust anyone no more, and we talk about being nice, but thats all well and good, but i don,t see in the uk anymore, i look but typicall low end on houses or flats now are silly expensive for what they are, very tiny in some cases, i think how could you even advertise it for that price, thats day light robbery.
so as usual renting is, one rule for one and one rule for another. i know now they simply do not care, we the poor will always remain in the lower end scale, we can,t all have good lives can we folks.
equal rights i don,t think so.
college got me nothng
expect get out of here you have no experience but we will employ the other person who is not even trained
about sums it up folks
college was not worth it, except for the fianance and credit they got from me. oh thats right thats what big fancy colleges are really about MONEY as usual.
then we all sit here highly trained but no job to go to.
it was a dream just a dream ey mr cameron
Of course live with parents is more simple, comfortable etc. But when you adult it’s right to move in another apartments. My first apartment was terrible but I lived here for 2 years. After I started to work in office and started to rent comfortable apartments at real estate management BSO ( https://bso.ae/ )