Written evidence submitted by Renters’ Rights London [HCE 066]

Renters’ Rights London (RRL) was established as a project of Camden Federation of Private Tenants in 2014. Funded by the Nationwide Foundation since 2018, Renters’ Rights London works to ensure that the voices of people on low-income, identified as “vulnerable to harm[1]” in the private rented sector, are heard by power-holders.

As a founder member of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, RRL works with 20 other housing organisations made up of and representing private renters, united in our mission to reform private renting. Renters’ Rights London is also part of the Just Space Network, whereby communities traditionally excluded from the process of developing strategic housing needs assessment and strategic housing land assessment are fully engaged from the outset; planning for a fairer, caring city.

Private rented sector

10.               Does the Renters’ Rights Bill go far enough to address poor housing conditions in the private rented sector?

10.1              We warmly welcome this long-awaited and much-needed legislation. The provisions within Chapter 2 offer a clear steer to local government. This should help to end the “postcode lottery” of private rented sector management and enforcement. While the work required might have potential to become self-funding across time, resources represent a critical challenge for many local authorities. In order to work to address poor conditions, the legislation should be accompanied by a real uplift in funding, ideally to be ring-fenced.

10.2              The requirement on landlords to investigate any potential emergency hazards within 24 hours and then, to undertake relevant safety work within a similar timeframe is most welcome. For the avoidance of doubt, we would welcome clarity on specifics such as whether or when a vermin infestation (rats or mice) is to be treated as “an emergency hazard” rather than “a significant hazard”.

11.              How effective will the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard be at improving the condition of homes in the private rented sector

11.1              Currently, where property licensing is accompanied by an inspection regime, local government officers around London detect non-compliance, including Category 1 hazard, in a significant percentage of licensed homes[2]. Thus, we have learnt that competent oversight, management and enforcement of legal minimum standards are essential. Similarly, the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is unlikely to be effective at improving conditions without local government enforcement, which requires adequate, ring-fenced funding.

11.2               Landlords’ representatives invariably warn that compliance with even the most basic standards mean that rents will rise. Any requirement for improved standards is highly likely to be used to increase their demands. Private landlords and their agents are permitted seek very high rents relative to incomes across London, expecting—and achieving—supernormal profits (capital growth plus yield) as a matter of course. Around London, this unfettered market in rents has created fertile ground for criminality to thrive in the private rented sector.

11.3              Hard-working renters are paying cash to share a room in a horribly overcrowded flat. This is the ugly reality that we would wish to see government action to tackle, above all else. Existing laws are quite robust but easily flouted. Of itself, a Decent Homes Standard appears highly unlikely to make any difference to the renters who most need help, then.

11.4               The risk of detection remains low. To address the problem properly, local     government needs political will, as well as more resources to address the problems. Even if that work can be done, the unrealistically high cost of renting leaves nowhere else for low-income renters[3] to go, except the streets.

11.5               Around the outer edges of the Inner London Local Housing Allowance rate area, renters in receipt of state benefits are also living in miserable conditions. Modest family homes have been converted into single room dwellings, identified as “self-contained flats” for benefit purposes. Some councils introduced Article 4 Directives to halt the spread of “lockdown landlords”[4] but little has been done to improve conditions in those dwellings already established. If the proposed DHS were to include provisions that would tackle this kind of exploitative landlordism, which condemns people to live in social isolation and to eat badly, it would be most welcome.

New-build homes

14              How can the Government ensure that new-build homes are as high-quality as possible?

14.1               Baroness Thornhill has tabled Amendment 134[5]; Lord Crisp has tabled Amendment 226[6] and Amendment 351[7]” to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. If agreed as introduced, these three amendments   would greatly increase the likelihood of high-quality homes for the future.

14.2               Through the work of the Grenfell Inquiry, the need for more rigorous testing and certification processes, along with greater transparency and proper accountability, is now widely understood. The tragic consequences of abject failures by multiple operators and in all of these areas has been met with worldwide condemnation but has still not yet been properly addressed.

14.3              If we are to have any hope of ensuring high-quality new build homes, improved oversight in the construction industry is essential. With this in mind, the Building Safety Regulator must maintain a “building by building” assessment. 

14.4              The Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 delegated responsibility for ensuring the safety of their products to manufacturers. Failure to properly regulate the industry has had tragic consequences. The current system of manufacturers “marking their own homework” is unsafe and so the role of private bodies such as the British Board of Agrément (BBA) and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) must be re-examined.

August 2025