Have your say on shit rentals and British landlords before it’s too late

Shelter and Generation Rent want you to #ventyourrent so the government finally listen

23August 2018

Stunning bedroom in £1650pm Clapham flat 😷 Complained and of course received threat of eviction 😡 while @lambeth_council did absolutely nothing. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 @KFHproperty #ventyourrent #housingcrisis 😭💔😭 pic.twitter.com/w1l0vNjC70
— Amy (@ms_wilson) August 20, 2018

The life of a young renter is often full of hiked up fees, exploitative contracts and insecurity as tenancies range from six to 12-month contracts at a time. However, the government are holding a consultation to hear the views on its proposal to increase rental tenancies to a minimum of three years. It would give renters the power to leave when they want but prevent landlords from forcing people out.

After years of campaigning, Shelter launched an online call out for opinions on how to make life better and fairer for renters. “Security for renters is long overdue. Thousands face eviction without a reason, and losing a rented home is the number one cause of homelessness,” they wrote. “We have the government’s ear. Let them know what you think of insecure renting.”

Generation Rent, a campaign group fighting for decent and affordable homes, encouraged their followers to tell their renting horror stories via the #ventyourrent hashtag on Twitter. “What frustrates, annoys, angers or upsets you about being a renter? What about good stuff you enjoy that you think all renters deserve?” read their original tweet. They got a lot of responses.

More than one million renters are victim to shit landlords, some students have found it cheaper to commute from Poland than live in the UK for university, and we’ve previously reported on some of the most exploitative arrangements that our readers have experienced.

Here are some of the all-too-familiar horror stories in response to the government’s proposal.

Where do I start? I pay £700 a month + bills.

At one point last winter we had no working heating or cooker, and the washing machine was flooding the kitchen via the sink.

Moving out, and the letting agent wants £480 in fees to sign a contact on the new place.#ventyourrent
— Hannah Al-Othman 🐝 (@HannahAlOthman) August 20, 2018

Landlord rooted through bins in a student house of 11 people to charge us £5 for every recyclable item that was in the wrong bin #VentYourRent
— Abi (@spabs1) August 21, 2018

£440 a month for a single room in a decaying 1840's house, 1 shower between 15 people☹️ #VentYourRent
— Jasper (@BlondJasper) August 20, 2018

Letting agent told us landlord was happy to extend our contract, but with 5% rent increase. We pushed back as existing rent already extortionate - landlord had no idea about 5%, didn’t want to increase rent and it was all a ploy by (well established) letting agent #ventyourrent
— Jessica Rowan (@jessrowan) August 20, 2018

The landlord turned his 1 bed flat into a 3 bed flat and charged me £740 a month for a room. This was the kitchen. Note that there is no oven, and the hob did not work. I ate only sandwiches for 3 months #VentYourRent pic.twitter.com/BTKvswuJW9
— Jessica (@jezicaanderson) August 22, 2018

had damp so bad in a previous tyneside flat that mould would spread onto my clothes & make my partner's asthma flair up. council's response? other renters have it much worse so you'll have to deal with it #ventyourrent
— rosie 🌻🌈✨ (@Rosie_Bellini) August 22, 2018