Call to fine landlords who discriminate against young renters

Young people attempting to move from homelessness accommodation into private rented housing are facing widespread landlord discrimination, charities warn.

Organisations in the EveryYouth Network argue that the Renters’ Rights Act fails to address housing access barriers.

It is now calling for financial penalties to be introduced for landlords and agents found to be discriminating against young renters.

It also wants enforcement mechanisms that do not rely solely on tenant complaints.

Lack of guarantor issues

The Network’s chief executive, Nicholas Connolly, said: “Charities in our network urge the government to record and monitor refusal patterns among landlords to identify discrimination, allow anonymous reporting of discriminatory practises, and create government-backed or local authority backed guarantor schemes to prevent blanket refusals based solely on a young person’s lack of a guarantor.”

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords in England will be prohibited from refusing tenants solely on the basis of receiving benefits or having children.

The charities say no equivalent statutory protections exist for young renters facing other forms of refusal.

Frontline support workers report concerns about landlord response to the reforms.

They include potential rent increases aimed at pricing out benefit recipients or the disposal of rental stock.

Young renters rejected

The network reports that young applicants are being rejected due to age, profession, current address, lack of a guarantor or income profile.

This then limits routes into independent living and extend the time spent in supported accommodation.

Discriminatory practises by landlords or letting agents over the past 12 months were reported by 77% of the 10 youth homelessness charities surveyed.

Charities highlight guarantor requirements as the biggest barrier, cited in 90% of cases.

Blanket rejections

Income thresholds followed at 70%, including instances where applicants were assessed as financially able to meet rental payments.

The charities warn that young applicants are receiving ‘blanket rejections’ from landlords.

The result is seeing some individuals turning to street homelessness, sofa surfing or informal living arrangements with safeguarding risks.

Charity workers also say awareness gaps remain, with young renters often unclear about their legal rights or how to challenge discriminatory treatment within the private rented sector.