New research from Citizens Advice shows that nearly half (45%) of private renters in England are experiencing damp, mould, or excessive cold in their homes. Half of these renters have been living with these issues for over a year. This situation highlights the severe impact of declining living standards on private renters, who are often forced to pay high rents despite poor housing conditions.
According to the charity’s analysis, private renters on a low income are expected to spend 53% of their income on energy and housing costs this year, compared with 46% for those in social housing and 40% for homeowners.
This financial strain is pushing many renters to their limits, with a third (32%) of private renters in England, equivalent to 3.4 million people, having to borrow money to cover their rent. Additionally, 17% have gone without heating, hot water, or electricity to make ends meet.
The combination of high costs and poor-quality housing is worsened by the lack of tenant protections and security. Many renters live under the constant threat of losing their home and lack effective processes to challenge their landlords. This fear of retaliation, including eviction or rent increases, prevents 37% of renters living with damp, cold, or mould from complaining to their landlords.
Citizens Advice is assisting almost 100 people a day with section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. For example, Hayley, a renter who contacted her local environmental health team about mould, received a Section 21 eviction notice shortly after her complaint. “Our house was awful. It was freezing cold, the double glazing in all the windows had blown, the front door had a breeze coming through it, and there were cracks in the walls,” she said. “But by far the worst part was the mould. I believe it caused my children to get eczema and other skin issues. About a month after I contacted environmental health, we came home to find we’d been served a section 21 notice.”
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “A warm, safe home, free of damp and mould should be a fundamental right. Yet private renters are paying through the roof for increasingly decrepit housing which eats up their hard-earned cash and puts their health at risk. To make matters worse, renters have little power and live with the constant threat of eviction hanging over their heads.”
Citizens Advice is calling for the Government to address the dire state of the private rented sector with robust legislation focusing on three key areas: affordability, disrepair, and security.
The charity recommends permanently linking financial support for renters to real rent prices by matching Local Housing Allowance to the cheapest 30% of rents in an area, bringing in strong legislation to reform the rental sector, including a watertight ban of section 21 evictions, and requiring landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties to a minimum of EPC C.
“The Government must follow through on its promises and improve the lives of private renters. This means raising the quality of privately rented housing, tackling runaway rents, and bringing in a watertight ban of section 21 evictions so renters aren’t afraid to challenge poor conditions,” Moriarty added.
