Countless renters across the country are facing ‘revenge evictions’ from landlords just for speaking up about bad conditions.
A study by homeless charity Shelter revealed that, in the past year alone, more than 200,000 people have faced eviction because they asked their landlord to fix a problem in their home.
The survey also found many were too scared of eviction to complain at all with eight per cent say they avoided asking their landlord to repair a problem or improve conditions in the last year in case they were evicted.
It was also revealed that revenge evictions were widespread across the country with examples including a Norfolk family who were handed an eviction notice three weeks after reporting damp and mould.
A family from Lancashire were evicted after complaining about a leaking roof after their landlord told them it ‘wasn’t worth his while’ to fix the problem.
With the government considering changing the law to tackle revenge evictions, Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb is urging people to speak up now.
“No-one should lose their home for asking their landlord to fix a problem, yet these shocking findings uncover the true scale of unfair evictions taking place across the country,” he said.
“We’re calling on people across the country to sign our petition and send the government a message that England’s nine million renters deserve better, now.’
The problem of revenge evictions is especially concerning as the housing shortage pushes more of folk across the UK into renting.
In February, the number of private renting households in England rose to nearly four million – an increase of 77 per cent in the last decade.
The study also showed that bad conditions were widespread with more than 40 per cent of renters having problems with mould in the past year.
It revealed that 25 per cent of renters had lived with a leaking roof or windows, while 16 per cent had electrical hazards in their home.