Housing crisis: ‘immediate’ rent freeze and eviction ban needed in England, say Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham

A rent freeze and ban on evictions should be implemented immediately in England to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis, the mayors of three of the country’s biggest cities have said.

In an open letter to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, campaigners have urged the government to take the same action as in Scotland - where tenants have been protected from the rental crisis under emergency measures announced by Nicola Sturgeon last September.

This, they argue, will help the “millions” hit by soaring food and energy costs “make ends meet”. It will also “prevent huge numbers of renters facing homelessness in the coming months”, amid warnings of an “eviction crisis” that “would have a devastating social impact” and cost councils and the government millions of pounds.

Coordinated by the London Renters’ Union (LRU), the letter has been signed by Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, in addition to his counterparts in Manchester and Liverpool, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram. Other signatories include the co-leaders of the Green Party, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, unions such as the NEU, RMT, CWU, and UNISON, high-profile charities, and several others.

The letter reports that in 2022, one in two private renters nationally were struggling with housing costs - with 2.5 million behind on rent payments. In London, four in five renters have been “hit hard by unaffordable housing”, with rents up by 17.8% on average last year, and increases of 30 - 50% becoming increasingly common.

Campaigners have also argued that renters are “all too often forgotten by the government” - pointing to how during the pandemic, a temporary freeze was introduced for mortgage holders, but “nothing close in comparison” was offered for those renting. They also aimed to dispel the argument that rents are rising due to landlords struggling with increased mortgage costs, writing that research by Generation Rent revealed that just 11% of rent increases in 2022 were the result of higher mortgage rates.

Yet another issue for renters, the letter argues, is that they are still “desperately waiting” for the ban on no-fault evictions that was promised by the government in 2019. Instead, figures demonstrate that over the last year, there has been a 121.1% increase in the number of households being served a Section 21 eviction notice.

On this topic, NationalWorld previously spoke to Emma Johnson, who, along with her seven-year-old son, was evicted using a ‘no fault’ eviction. As a result, they had to move county - and now live in a council flat Ms Johnson described as “dirty and smelly”, with “drugs and aggressive characters.” She said: “I can’t get over the injustice of it. I did absolutely nothing wrong and now I can’t live my life where and how I want to.”

Kirsty, a teacher and member of LRU, told of how when her landlord tried to raise her rent, she had “no choice” but to move further away from her workplace - largely due to her salary “not rising in life with inflation”. This resulted in her being signed off sick due the the stress of the situation.

Now, just one year into her new tenancy, her landlord has asked for another £1,200 increase in rent. “I feel like I’m back to square one,” she said.

Similarly, Bekah, another member of the LRU, was evicted after refusing a £1,200 rent rise. “We felt sad, angry, and like a great injustice had happened to us - but it was completely legal,” she said.

She continued: “We were forced to move to a significantly more expensive house and now we are facing a rent rise once again. We are already anxious about our food shop and energy prices, and this rent rise will only add further stress. I feel very precarious right now and a rent freeze would give me some peace of mind.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “We recognise the pressures brought on by the rising cost of living, which is why we delivered £1,200 of direct support to millions of households last year, including £400 towards energy costs, and will be providing a further £1,350 of support to the most vulnerable households over the next year.”

They added however that “evidence shows rent controls in the private sector do not work, leading to declining standards and a lack of investment - and may encourage illegal subletting”.