Private renters held a day of action outside Parliament to demand that the government delivers on its promise to end unfair evictions.
Renters and members of the Renters Reform Coalition met Sam Tarry MP (pictured, main image), Stephen Timms, chair of the Work & Pensions Committee and Lloyd Russell Moyle, chair of the All-party Parliamentary Group on Renters and Rental Reform, to share their experiences and ask them to reform the sector.
The Renters Reform Coalition is made up of 20 charities, unions and advice centres including ACORN, Citizens Advice, Generation Rent, NUS and Shelter. It organised the event to flag up the end of coronavirus protections for private renters; extended notice periods revert to two months on 1st October.
Evictions
According to the English Housing Survey, 57,000 private renter households (or 1.27% of the PRS) were evicted in 2019-20. The coalition is calling on the government to end unfair evictions and introduce open ended secure tenancies, introduce a national register of landlords to raise standards, stop illegal evictions, end discrimination in rented homes and tackle the affordability crisis.
Coalition chair Sue James (pictured) says the pandemic is a painful reminder of the importance of a safe and secure home. “The lifting of the eviction restrictions takes that basic need further away,” she adds.
“Private renters cannot go back to the status quo – of high rents, unsafe homes and insecure tenancies. It’s time to make private renting better, not worse.
“Now that Parliament has returned, we have a once in a generation opportunity to ensure the private rented sector is secure and safe.”
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