Shelter claim 39% of PRS is dangerous or unhealthy

Shelter claim 39% of PRS is dangerous or unhealthy

9:11 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago 48

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Shelter is urging the government to bring forward the Renters’ Reform Bill based on two survey samples of only 553 or 551 private renters, both possibly skewed by how the data is collected

Shelter go on to extrapolate in their press release:

New figures by YouGov released today show 39% of private renters, equivalent to 3.2m people, say they have been forced to live in dangerous or unhealthy conditions because they fear complaining to their landlord will trigger a retaliatory eviction.  

And almost half (46%) of private renters, equivalent to 3.8m people, whose homes have needed repairs or improvements said they have not tried to resolve these owing to these fears. 

Because private landlords can evict tenants by serving a section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notice, where they don’t have to give a reason, losing a private tenancy remains a leading cause of homelessness.  

And while the coronavirus pandemic has made our homes more important than ever, 35% of private renters say their housing situation has made lockdowns harder to cope with. A fifth (21%) had suffered with damp, mould, condensation, poor insulation or excess cold in the past month alone.  

In light of these worrying findings and ahead of the Queen’s Speech next month, housing charity Shelter is urging Boris Johnson to honour his pledge to deliver a Renters’ Reform Bill that transforms private renting. This should include abolishing section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions which would give renters the security they need to challenge poor conditions. And creating a National Landlord Register, which would force landlords to prove properties meet essential safety standards. 

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said:“Our broken renting system is overdue serious reform. For years, renters have paid through the nose for neglected properties, left powerless and paralysed by the fear that complaining about basic repairs could see them out on the streets.

“Over the past year, our homes have been our first line of defence against coronavirus. Yet this pandemic has exposed the grim reality that too many of the country’s 11 million renters – including key workers, families and the elderly – wake up every day to mould, pests and dangerous hazards.

“The Renters’ Reform Bill offers us a once-in-a generation opportunity to transform private renting and create a fairer safer system for all renters – we must seize it with both hands.”

Between March 2020 and March 2021, Shelter has seen a 35% increase amongst private renters who are contacting the charity’s helpline and web chat services for advice about poor conditions.

All survey results are based on a survey of 3,588 people in England (553 currently private renting), online, weighted, 18+, 7th-9th April 2021 or on a YouGov survey of 3,603 people in England (551 currently private renting), online, weighted, 18+, 28th Jan – 1st Feb 2021. Numbers of people are estimates calculated by Shelter using the survey results in conjunction with official statistics on population sizes. Shelter estimates there to be 8.2 million adult private renters in England, using analysis of published English Housing Survey (MHCLG) figures for 2019/20 and raw data from the same survey dated 2018/19.


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Comments

psquared

9:57 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

This is just so typical of shelter to see a small leak and declare a national disaster.
I don't have any hard data but I do speak with a lot of landlords and I suspect the vast majority of landlords take pride in providing high quality accommodation....I know I would never rent anything I wasn't happy to live in myself....and I am sick and tired of the constant barrage of section 21... Unless you want the property back or your tenant is damaging property, being anti social or not paying the rent why the hell would anyone want to evict a tenant?....there is always nearly always
a substantial cost to relet a property and the risk you have let someone in who has no intention of paying.
And I want my tenants to report faults......if its minor I tell them I will put it on the list for repair if its significant I get it done asap and if its urgent I bend over backwards to get it sorted without delay.
I have rented property for 25 years and I have never ever evicted a tenant that was without fault (actually only ever had to evict 3 tenants in total).
It is simply scaremongering to suggest that landlords are trying to get tenants out for no reason.....if nothing else it doesn't make economic sense to move someone out who is paying the rent....and for me if I have a good tenant I'd rather keep them happy than try to extract a few pound more.....it's my loyalty bonus and if they stay a long time I've never had anyone complain about an increase after a few years of renting as long as its reasonable and negotiated..... tenants are customers not the enemy!
These remarks are for property outside London....London seems to be unique and have serious problems that do need to be addressed.....of course there will always be rogue landlords and I totally agree they should be brought to account but sadly I think the councils often go after soft targets

Karen

10:10 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

They always make it sound as if the tenants cannot find another property. In London there are so many empty properties at the moment and the rents are falling. So what is the problem with moving if you are not satisfied with the property you are in?
You have a choice in the PRS, so which tenant would rent a damp and hazardous property? If there are such properties will they be improved because Section 21 is abolished?
Sounds to me like Shelter just wants the PRS to house people for free......

Darren Peters

10:24 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

Didn't hear much from Shelter regarding the awful council housing in Croydon

Anne Nixon

10:36 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

As Benjamin Disraeli said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Shelter are shameless manipulators of statistics to come up with propaganda.
Would those tenants bothering to respond to the 'survey' be happy tenants in top quality, healthy homes I wonder or those with issues, something to get off their chest?

terry sullivan

11:14 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

complaint to charities commission--shelter is abusing its status

Whiteskifreak Surrey

11:25 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Karen at 20/04/2021 - 10:10
Yes, this is exactly what they want.
Tenants are always angelic and landlords diabolic. There is nothing in between in Shelter's frame of mind.
I am now wearing proudly a badge of being banned by Shelter on FB (of course without any warning) just for speaking a few words of truth.

jjbforge@gmail.com

11:39 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

So it would be interesting if a survey was carried out on owner occupied properties how many are dangerous and unhealthy!

John Dace

11:47 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

Its all very well - us all commenting on here..... we all agree Shelter is twisting facts and statistics to suit its socialist aims.
But you have to hand it to them - they are playing the game really well. Funding - lobbying - salaries - offices - friends in high places - tv adverts - newspaper ads - et etc
What to we do? Just preach to the converted (each other). When are our national bodies going to start actually representing us and show Shelter up for its relentless inaccurate attacks. Maybe its time for a complete change - taking the fight (and the many sensible counter arguments) to where it matters.
What happened to The Landlords Alliance?

NewYorkie

11:50 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

This is relentless! S.21 will go in due course, probably within the year, and it will make very little difference to the PRS. Yes, S.21 does offer the possibility of evicting a tenant for 'no good reason', but as has been been said, why would a landlord want an empty property not earning money for no good reason. And good point about social housing, which is among some of the worst inner city rented property, yet Shelter is strangely quiet on the matter.
Perhaps the NRLA should produce a co-narrative for social housing landlords [with comments from Ms Neate] to even things up. All the NRLA need to do is commission a survey targeted at social housing tenants. 50p for a 5 minute survey with 1000 respondents = £500! If the Government reforms the PRS based on these types of statistics, we need to use the same tactics as Shelter to demonstrate we are not the [only] problem!

We all need to out rogue landlords, and perhaps S.21 needs to go in return for making S.8 evictions quicker and easier (I am into month 13 of zero rent!). Ms Neate would need something else to moan about!

psquared

11:57 AM, 20th April 2021, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 20/04/2021 - 11:50
That is such a great idea. If the nrla ask for donations to fund the survey I would gladly contribute....but as rightly said what the hell are we paying for....NRLA is a fairly big organisation and should be showing Shelter up for the sham they are....I guess to the reason we don’t do very much is we are all busy earning a living and looking after houses and tenants.....The NRLA are failing us and I unless I see them defending landlords I’m going to give up membership.

I am sick and tired of being beaten over the head with section 21....I have never yet met a landlord who wants to remove a good tenant who looks after the property and pays the rent ( unless there are exceptional personal circumstances).

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