A staggering 79% of private tenants in the North West have experienced disrepair at home in the last year, new research has revealed. A YouGov study for housing charity Shelter has found almost four in five tenants in the private sector have been affected by disrepair.
They include 51% who have experienced damp and/or mould, while 27 per cent have had either a problem with their boiler, no heating or no hot water in the past year. A further 27pc say they have not asked for repairs to be carried out for fear of being kicked out of their home.
Shockingly, across England private renters who complained to their landlord, letting agent or local council were two-and-a-half times more likely to be handed an eviction notice. Shelter says tenants are trapped in a 'catch-22' situation that will only improve with changes to the law.
It is urging the Government to bring forward its Renters Reform Bill, which is not expected to come back to Parliament until later this year. Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "By dragging its heels on the Renters Reform Bill, the government has left private renters in the North West in a terrible catch 22 - they either shut up and put up with disrepair, or risk being evicted in a cost of living crisis.
"Day in, day out, Shelter hears from people who are forking out huge sums on rent while living in nightmarish conditions because private renting is woefully under-regulated. It is a travesty that so many private renters are too afraid to complain about the mould growing all over their kids’ clothes, or the water pouring in through broken window frames, in case it costs them their home.
"Renters are bearing the brunt of government dithering over urgently needed private rental reforms. Renters can’t wait any longer, the government must urgently make its Renters’ Reform Bill law to protect tenants who call out poor conditions from unfair evictions and homelessness.“
Shelter says it has seen a surge in the number of people reading its online advice pages for disrepair since the beginning of the year, with a 53% increase over the same period in 2022. The charity supported the Manchester Evening News in its recent campaign for Awaab's Law, which will set timeframes for social landlords to resolve damp and mould and see the issue treated with urgency.
But the M.E.N. has also exposed shocking conditions in private rented homes across Greater Manchester. Last month, we published shocking images of damp at an Albion Works apartment in New Islington.
Missy Koker believed her son was becoming 'ill' because of mould in the city centre flat. She said: "I am angry. I informed my landlord seven months ago. The contractor said they would come and fix it."
Managing agent RMG - acting on behalf of the owner, which is responsible for maintenance of the structure and communal areas - said the issue was 'caused by an historic leak from the apartment above' and no other complaints had been made about damp due to cladding work on the building. Property managers Jordan Fishwick declined to comment.
Last year, a report from IPPR North found tenants in Greater Manchester were becoming 'exhausted' and 'overwhelmed' as poor quality housing damages their health and bank balance. The report highlights that 21% of homes in the area's private rented sector failed to meet the decent homes standard.
As amendments were made in the House of Commons to add Awaab's Law to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, a Greater Manchester MP called for the measures to be introduced for the private sector. Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour MP for Salford and Eccles, called for 'an equivalent Awaab's Law' for private tenants.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in a statement: "We remain absolutely committed to delivering a fairer deal for renters in the north west.
"We will bring forward a Renters Reform Bill in this Parliament, abolishing 'no fault evictions' so that all tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions and unreasonable rent rises.
"In addition we are providing families with significant support over this year and next – worth on average £3,500 per household – as well as uprating benefits and the state pension by 10pc in April."
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