Thread by @EmerDemeza

Great to see protections for private renters prioritised in the #LevellingUp White Paper today. Quick thread on what we’ve heard from tenants about why changes like ending Section 21 and improving standards are important - and long overdue🧵

We’ve been talking for years about renters facing disrepair in their homes, and how hard it can be to get problems fixed by landlords. Lockdowns threw light on this - @CitizensAdvice saw 64% more renters with disrepair problems last year than before the pandemic

But we also know that many renters don’t report issues at all. With funding from @NationwideFdtn we’ve set up the Tenants Voice panel - a group of private renters who’ve told us they often don’t complain because they’re worried it could cause more problems

One tenant told us they wouldn’t push for their landlord to fix problems because they worried it would lead to them getting a Section 21 'no fault' eviction notice

This fear isn’t unfounded. When the last pandemic rules on evictions were lifted in October last year, we saw a spike of 41% in people coming to @CitizensAdvice because they were being evicted after making a complaint about disrepair

Some renters told us they would rather solve problems themselves than risk losing their home, even if that means living with disrepair, or paying their own money to fix things

Renters have been trapped in a cycle of insecurity for too long. Ending no fault evictions, registering landlords and driving up standards are hugely welcome commitments, but they’ve been promised since 2019. Now is the time for @luhc to take action gov.uk/government/new…