In London, entrepreneurs have developed a new offer: people pay ludicrous amounts of money to attend a party ‘experience’ in London in a venue meticulously designed to resemble a shared house complete with unloved carpet, dodgy and tyrannical music choices made by someone you have never met, a kitchen with a sticky floor and an eclectic and mysterious drink selection except that you pay ten pounds per drink rather than chugging supermarket squash and vodka to oblivion.
The reason for this bizarre experiment in monetising what used to be an unremarkable part of life – the house party – is that so few young people in London and its surroundings have a house or flat where they could conceive of hosting one. They fear damage that will immediately lose them a deposit, they have too many and too frequently changing housemates, what used to be common areas have been turned into more bedrooms and their security of tenure is so fragile that anything that might trigger an eviction into a viciously competitive and uncertain rental market is to be avoided.
Everyone is used to the conversations about house prices in Wokingham but the situation of people renting in the private market is similarly in need of support both from the central government in terms of legislation and protection of renters and local government in terms of support for the building and regulation of decent and affordable homes.
Over the past fourteen years, the problems faced by renters in the South East have increased exponentially without any recognition, let alone mitigation, from the government.
Insecurity of tenure and the ease of ‘no-fault’ evictions mean that people literally do not know from month to month whether they will be able to stay in their home
Never-ending and unpredictable rent increases with little or no redress: 40 percent of private renters are paying more than half their household income on rent
Higher borrowing costs for landlords are passed directly onto renters in the form of rent increases and new ‘fees’
The constant increase in demand means that the supply is steadily declining and there is constant pressure on tenants to pay more and ask for less in terms of repairs or improvements to their homes, people are stuck paying massive utility bills rather than asking their landlords for improved boilers, insulation or windows
The mental health of renters suffer from the insecurity of tenure, and the anxiety of whether they will be able to stay in their homes – even basic human pleasures like owning a pet or hanging a picture are restricted and some landlords use their effective monopoly power to dictate how much time people are allowed to stay in their homes – there are increasing number of rental agreements that do not allow you to work from home for example.
For most renters, the anxiety is made worse by the lack of prospects or alternatives: breaking out of this loop into for example home ownership seems an insurmountable task – in the 1980s a typical couple would need three years to save for an average deposit, in the South East that couple would need to save for nineteen years to do the same today.
Renting is not in itself a problem – people need and appreciate the flexibility of being able to move area for work, study or choice, households change in composition and not everyone is willing or able to commit to a mortgage: it is the level of exploitation and uncertainty surrounding the private rental market that needs to be addressed.
Since winning the election Labour has acted on its undertakings to support renters by Empowering renters to challenge unreasonable rent increases and prevent renters being discriminated against and exploited through bidding wars, ‘deposits for viewing’ and other unreasonable charges that take advantage of the scarcity of rental properties and the intense competition that surrounds them
Abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions so that renters can enjoy reasonable security in their homes
Decisively raising standards, including extending Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector (to prevent the dreadful circumstances that led to a child’s death in poorly ventilated and maintained rented accommodation) and ensuring homes meet minimum energy efficiency standards.
There is however much more to be done. The current shortage of housing in the borough squeezes living standards, fuels poverty and chokes growth
Labour has inherited a broken housing market which will require significant reform to planning and land development policies to increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes to rent and to buy.
Wokingham Labour will continue to press for the improved quality and availability of social housing including council houses which offer the best and most secure basis on which people can build a life in Wokingham Borough if they are not able to buy and will relieve pressure on the private rented sector.
We will also work to support renters’ involvement in decisions about planning, building and maintaining new and existing homes in their communities and make sure that their interests and priorities are included in plans of the future.
Together we can work to ensure that all residents of Wokingham, whatever their tenure, are living secure, healthy lives in the homes they deserve – and ones where you are able to host a party would be a start.
By Marie-Louise Weighill
