One million private renters in the UK could miss out on their vote on 4th July if they don’t register by 18th June, according to an analysis by Generation Rent.
The campaign is urging renters to ensure they can vote by registering online before the deadline at midnight on Tuesday 18th June. The process takes just five minutes.
Generation Rent estimates there were 6.8m eligible voters living in private rented homes at the 2021 Census, based on age and passport status. The latest British Election Study in May 2023 found that 6.7% of private renters were not registered, amounting to 455,000 voters, and a further 8.1% were registered at a different address, equivalent to 548,000 voters. This totals 1.003m voters who may not be able to vote on 4 July if not correctly registered.
Private renters are at a disadvantage in the electoral system due to short tenancies and frequent moves, making it easy for them to drop off the electoral register. The English Housing Survey 2021-22 found that 70% of private renters had been in their current home for less than five years. Analysis shows significant drops in registration in areas with large private renter populations. Among 107 constituencies with private renter populations of 25% or more, the number of people on the electoral register has fallen by an average of 5.4% since the 2019 General Election. In contrast, among 426 seats with smaller private renter populations, the electoral roll has shrunk by an average of 1.6%.
Private renters face challenges such as rapidly increasing rents, elevated levels of no-fault evictions, and poor living standards. The Renters Reform Bill, which aimed to address some of these issues, faced slow progress and was dropped at the end of the Parliament. Polling by Opinium commissioned by Generation Rent found that two-thirds (64%) of private renters think the state of renting is going to get worse in the next few years. However, renters are optimistic about the potential for change, with 54% agreeing that politicians will try to solve issues if many people care about them.
In the past two years, 55% of renters have experienced rent increases, 34% have faced unresolved maintenance issues, and 30% are experiencing mould in their current homes. The policy renters find most beneficial is limiting how much their landlord can increase their rent (55%).
Generation Rent is running a campaign to increase voter registration among renters ahead of the 18 June deadline. The campaign involves direct mail, digital advertising, and local street stalls in partnership with community union ACORN. In less than a week since the campaign’s launch, Generation Rent estimates that tens of thousands of renters have registered to vote, with a further increase predicted in the coming days.
Dan Wilson Craw, deputy chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “With the housing crisis raging, the election is a huge opportunity for renters to use our democratic voice to call for better renting. But renters are at a disadvantage, compared with landlords, as frequent moves make it easier for us to fall off the register and miss out on voting. We have a few weeks left to decide who gets our vote, but we will miss this opportunity if we don’t have a ballot paper on 4 July. We urge anyone who has moved home since the last General Election to make sure they’re registered to vote by Tuesday night.”
