On Wednesday 20 November Renters’ Voice, along with local, Scottish and Finnish housing experts, presented at Housing Rights annual Private Rented Sector (PRS) conference.
As experts by experience, we felt it was crucial to balance out the theory and research of the private rented sector with the reality of living in it.
The reality
First up to speak was our member who was severely injured at home due to her landlord’s negligence and failure to repair. A few days after reporting the landlord to Environmental Health, our member received a ‘no-fault’ eviction and was told the landlord wanted to sell. Our member detailed the exhausting journey she has been on since the incident, which has included a stint in hospital, a 2-month stay at a rehabilitation unit and hosting countless house viewers whilst recovering at home. Our member, who is turning 80 soon, explained that it is very difficult to secure a privately rented home when in receipt of a pension and was on the brink of homelessness when she was finally accepted for a new tenancy, despite being initially refused due to her income.
Next up to speak was our member who lived without heating or hot water for 11 months due to her landlord’s negligence and failure to repair. Our member explained that although she knows about her right to repair, this right becomes meaningless when you can’t exercise it for fear of eviction. Our member, who works full time as a homeless support worker, said she would not be able to afford a new deposit and rent in advance, so she was afraid to push the repair issue too much. Despite the landlord working to his own timeframe for repair, he is now unhappy with the damp & mold which has grown in the property since the boiler broke and has threatened our member with eviction. Eight years after successfully managing to exit homelessness and move into the PRS, our member is facing the very real possibility of re-entering it from the PRS.
Prevent homelessness by banning ‘no-fault’ evictions
To prevent more renters from being threatened with homelessness or experiencing homelessness, Renters’ Voice believe we need to end ‘no-fault’ evictions.
In our recent ‘No-fault’ eviction survey (Aug 24), nearly half (46%) of respondents said they became homeless and had to move into temporary accommodation or with family or friends following the eviction. Only 37% of respondents were able to secure a new private rented home.
One respondent who became homeless due to the no-fault eviction had no other choice but to move into a cold 9ft by 6ft caravan for one year. Another respondent said they felt “hopeless” and felt like they had “failed in life” due to becoming homeless in their late 50s and having to move back in with their parents.
As well as providing renters with the long-term security they need, it would also provide better quality housing as renters would be able to exercise their right to repair.
The guarantor debate
Renters’ Voice believe it is crucial that everyone who needs to access private rentals can. Yet we know that for many people requirements such as guarantors act as barriers. Guarantor specifications, such as being a UK homeowner and receiving a certain wage, means any renter whose family or friends do not own their own homes or are on low incomes, can be prevented from accessing a home. Renters’ Voice was pleased to hear MLAs on the panel agree that rental guarantors are not a suitable solution, but we are concerned at how unbending the Landlord Association for Northern Ireland (LANI) representatives seemed to be on the issue. Renters’ Voice believe a full review is needed of the role guarantors play in the PRS, and we are keen to work with all stakeholders involved to find a workable solution.
Reflections
- We received extremely positive feedback from a range of attendees following our presentation
- Some of the feedback included how moved attendees felt hearing our experiences, how much they supported our ban on ‘no-fault’ evictions and how important it was to hear from people with lived experience. We agree that it is important for renters to be seen, heard and respected at these kinds of events and we hope we can contribute even more to the next conference
- We were also impressed with MLAs Ciara Ferguson and Kellie Armstrong, as their dedication to improving housing was evident throughout the day
- One of our members who has attended all eleven of Housing Right’s Private Rented Sector Conferences noted that this year there seemed to be a significant shift in how attendees perceived the PRS in terms of size and importance. We view this as a huge advance as we believe change will come if decision makers understand just how many people are living in a largely unregulated sector