Elle Young*, 29, who works in arts funding, lives in an illegal sublet in London to make her rent more affordable. She is one of five people living in a three-bedroom property. There is mould and damp in all of the rooms and the window panes are rotting. In the kitchen, the rot has caused the glass pane to fall out, meaning the cold air seeps in.
Young is not named on the contract, so she is powerless to get in touch with the landlord. When her housemate on the tenancy agreement contacted the landlord, they were told he had “no funds available to make any repairs this year”. Young is terrified that if they keep requesting repairs, they will be issued with a section 21 notice, which allows private landlords to evict tenants in England and Wales without having to establish they are at fault. She fears that if she is forced to move out she would have nowhere to live due to soaring rental costs.
