Damp and mould in rented homes has become a major problem as of late, with record numbers of people reporting issues to their landlords.
In 2022-23, the English Housing Survey uncovered that 1.5 million children were living in households that did not meet decency standards.
The proportion of these living in Private Rented accommodation has almost doubled since the pandemic, rising from 1 in 14 children to almost one in 7 in 2022-23.
Matthew Pennycook, newly appointed Housing Minister described the number as “utterly shocking”. He continued, “This is why we are taking decisive action to raise standards and protect tenants from exploitation.”
The number of households with dependent children suffering with damp and mould has increased across all rental sectors, however those renting privately have been hit the hardest.
One charity reported receiving a “deluge” of reports of poor housing conditions, however many private renters are still too afraid to complain due to the fear of losing their homes.
Section 21 “no-fault” evictions allow landlords to evict tenants once their agreed tenancy has expired, on a no-fault basis. This allows landlords to evict tenants who complain about the standard of the living accommodation, meaning many tenants are left with nowhere to turn.
The government announced in the King’s Speech that The Renters’ Rights Bill should help stop landlords removing good tenants on a no-fault basis. The Social Housing Safety Rules also known as Awaab’s Law, will be extended to the Private Sector giving tenants increased rights to live in safe accommodation.
‘Safeguards completely missing’
Chief Executive for Housing Charity Shelter, Polly Neate, told the BBC “As the ‘unaffordability’ gets worse, the level of disrepair that the people on low incomes have to put up with also gets worse”.
She remarked that the plans to abolish the Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions would be an important step in improving the standard of housing.
“People don’t complain because they think that they can get evicted” she continued.
According to the English Housing Survey, around three and a half million households in England were living in homes that didn’t meet the Decent Homes Standard, and about one million households were dealing with damp issues.
