Cracking down on rogue landlords

Imagine learning just before Christmas that you’re being kicked out of the home you’ve lived in for decades. Or that your rent is soaring by 40% with only a month’s notice.

A group of residents in my Hornsey and Wood Green constituency don’t have to imagine, because that’s exactly what happened to them when their block was sold to a new owner. It didn’t matter that they’d paid their rent on time each month, looked after their flat well or that their children had known no other home. If a greedy landlord wanted them out under a Section 21 “no fault” eviction, they were completely powerless.

I was granted a debate in parliament last month to discuss this housing insecurity in the private rented sector. Cruel “no fault” evictions can leave tenants too anxious to even ask for essential repairs, yet shockingly a quarter of privately rented homes don’t meet the decent homes standard.

Research by Citizens Advice has found that private renters who make a formal complaint have a 46% chance of being served with an eviction notice within six months.

How can this be legal?

The Tories promised to outlaw Section 21 in their last manifesto, but two years on and despite Labour’s pleas, we’re still waiting.

In my debate I urged the minister to bring forward a long overdue renters’ reform bill that would give tenants the security they deserve and crack down on the rogue landlords that give all landlords a bad name. I’m pleased that he agreed on the importance of these reforms, but disappointed that he still wouldn’t tell me when they’d become law.

In the meantime, tenants suffer. In Shelter’s latest survey of private renters, 39% said housing worries left them feeling stressed and anxious, with many saying how hard their children found the constant uprooting.

As for the residents I’ve been helping, I’m pleased to say that following weeks of representations by my office, the threat of adverse publicity, and the support of Shelter and local councillors, the new owners have backtracked and offered new contracts on more favourable terms. Sadly, this “change of heart” came too late for some residents who’d already moved on.

People’s homes should never be treated as little more than a way to maximise profits. With 40% of London’s households expected to live in the private rented sector by 2025, the government needs to act now to give everyone the right to a safe and secure home.