A survey of over 2,000 tenants suggests that affordability pressures and supply shortages may prevent tenants from using their new legal rights under the Renters’ Reform Bill.
Introduced to Parliament on 17 May 2023, the Renters’ Reform Bill contains several new legal rights for tenants. Renters will be able to raise complaints with a new private rented sector landlord ombudsman and look on a new property portal for details about rental properties, while the abolition of Section 21 is targeted at ending no-fault evictions.
However, findings from a housing charity study carried out in March/April 2023 show that a shortage of accommodation and affordability pressures influence tenants’ willingness to pursue the legal rights that already exist.
While most tenants told the survey, carried out by the TDS Charitable Foundation, that they initially reported problems with their tenancy to their landlord or letting agent (87%), very few raised a complaint with the local authority or other legal body if they were still unhappy with the response (23%).
Concerns about being asked to leave, difficulties finding another suitable property, and wanting to be seen as a good tenant were the main reasons why tenants failed to escalate their complaints.
The data also suggests that many tenants are reluctant to make requests that might improve their renting experience, such as asking for energy efficiency upgrades.
Some 44% of tenants said they struggled to afford their utility bills in February/March 2023, and many believed that the energy efficiency of their property could be improved (47%). However, the majority had not requested improvements, again due to fears of jeopardising their tenancy (61%).
Steve Harriott, CEO of TDS, has welcomed the Renters’ Reform Bill. However, he added: “The research suggests that the removal of Section 21 no-fault evictions may not in itself be enough to give tenants greater confidence to complain about poor conditions to their landlord or the new ombudsman.
“Over the coming months we will want to explore these issues in more detail so that we can help the government come up with ways of increasing the confidence of tenants to approach landlords and others about issues affecting their tenancy.”
