Flats to rent: almost half of private renters endure cold, damp or mould despite record high rents - Rightmove

• Nearly half of private renters in England face issues like dampness, mould or excessive cold
• That’s despite the average advertised rent outside London reaching a new high of £1,314 per month
• Low-income private renters are expected to spend 53% of their income on energy and housing costs this year
• Approximately 32% of renters (3.4 million people) have had to borrow money to pay rent, with 17% going without essential services like heating or hot water
• Renters face a lack of security and risk retaliatory evictions if they report poor housing conditions
• The new Renters’ Rights Bill aims to address these issues by banning Section 21 no-fault evictions and improving protections for tenants

Almost half of private renters in England are living in homes that are cold, damp or mouldy, even in the summer, despite the average rent being asked outside London hitting a new record of £1,314 a month.

According to a Citizens Advice survey, 45% of private renters are currently dealing with dampness, mould or excessive cold in their homes, with 48% of these households having endured these conditions for over a year.

The charity’s data revealed that low-income private renters are expected to spend 53% of their income on energy and housing costs this year, compared to 46% for those in social housing and 40% for homeowners.

The study also indicated that 32% of private renters in England, approximately 3.4 million people, have had to borrow money to pay their rent, while 17% have gone without heating, hot water, or electricity to do so.

The survey found that unaffordable and poor-quality housing in the private rental sector is exacerbated by tenants' lack of protection and security. Renters face the constant threat of losing their homes and risk retaliatory eviction if they speak up about these issues.

That’s all in the face of the average rent being asked outside London hitting a new record of £1,314 a month. In London, advertised rents have reached a record high of £2,661, up from £2,567 the previous year.

Rightmove said that, a year ago, the average monthly advertised rent across Britain, excluding London, was £1,231. The website’s latest rental figures cover the second quarter of 2024.

It also said that each property it lists typically receives 17 inquiries from prospective tenants, with the number of available properties still below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, despite overall rental supply slowly improving from last year.

Citizens Advice said the Government must bring in “robust” legislation to address affordability, disrepair and security in the sector, and has called for a permanent link between financial support for renters and real rent prices by matching Local Housing Allowance to the cheapest 30% of rents in an area.

It also wants to see a “watertight” ban of Section 21 evictions to give renters confidence to challenge housing conditions and unfair rent hikes, and a requirement of landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

Citizens Advice said it was helping almost 100 people a day with section 21 “no-fault” evictions. Its survey showed that more than a third of renters who have lived with damp, cold or mould said they had never complained to their landlord, with 51% citing the fear of retaliation, including eviction or a rent increase, as the reason.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: “A warm, safe home, free of damp and mould, should be a fundamental right. Yet private renters are paying through the roof for increasingly decrepit housing which eats up their hard-earned cash and puts their health at risk.

“To make matters worse, renters have little power and live with the constant threat of eviction hanging over their heads.

“The Government must follow through on its promises and improve the lives of private renters. This means raising the quality of privately rented housing, tackling runaway rents, and bringing in a watertight ban of section 21 evictions so renters aren’t afraid to challenge poor conditions.”

Last week, the King’s Speech included a promise that Labour would “take action where the previous Government has failed” on protections for renters – including ending no-fault evictions.

Its Renters’ Rights Bill would take up the baton on tackling issues that campaigners said the Conservatives’ Renters (Reform) Bill – which fell after Rishi Sunak called the General Election – had failed on.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said: “It’s unacceptable that millions of households are living in damp, dangerous homes across the country. Renters should be able to raise concerns about these issues without fear of retaliatory eviction.

“Last week we announced plans for our Renters’ Rights Bill, which will ban section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions with immediate effect and extend Awaab’s Law so tenants in the private rented sector are protected from exploitation and empowered to challenge landlords over property conditions.”

We want to hear from you! Share your experiences and thoughts on the current state of private renting in the comments section below. Are you facing similar issues with your rental property? How do you feel about the proposed changes in rental laws?