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‘Stop all rent rises and evictions’ demands influential campaigning group

Generation Rent has published half a dozen demands that it says will help tenants survive the cost of living crisis.

Nigel Lewis

generation rent

Generation Rent says rent increases and evictions should be banned until the cost of living crisis subsides.

The campaigning group also wants to see landlords banned from requesting rent up-front.

It claims this tactic is being used by some landlords to prevent benefit claimants from renting their homes without having to say ‘no DSS’.

Generation Rent quotes a range of data sources to back up its calls for government action.

Energy bills

This includes ONS reports that revealed recently that nearly two-thirds of renters have been finding it difficult to pay energy bills and that nearly half are spending less on essentials such as food.

Other demands made by Generation Rent include unfreezing the Local Housing Allowance, restoring Discretionary Housing Payment funding to 2020-21 levels, reinstating the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and proving funds to clear tenants’ rent arrears on top of the £65 million provided last year.

alicia kennedy evictions“Although interest rates are rising, homeowners are able to minimise costs by remortgaging. Renters don’t have the same option: if your landlord thinks they can get a higher rent from a new tenant, there’s not much you can do. If you try to negotiate, your landlord can simply serve a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice,” says its Director Baroness Kennedy (pictured).

“With renters so vulnerable to rent hikes and incomes stagnant, this causes impossible choices between paying rent and putting food on the table.

“Without a suspension of evictions and a rent freeze, the cost of living crisis will lead to spiralling rent arrears and homelessness for thousands of families.”

April 29, 2022

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