The number of apartments available for rent in the UK has fallen by a third in the last 18 months.
The sharp drop in the number of listings has helped push up rents for new tenants by 11%.
Rental agencies typically have 10 rentals compared to over 16 before September 2021, according to figures shared with the BBC by property website Zoopla.
As a result, people like Ruth have been searching for months without success. “It seems completely hopeless,” she said.
Ruth contracted fibromyalgia in 2015 and had to quit her job. After splitting from her long-term partner, she is stuck in their home in Kent while she looks for a smaller and more affordable rental property.
“I leave the browser open on Rightmove, Openrent, Zoopla, Facebook Marketplace and nothing happened,” she said. “I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s difficult.”
Ruth receives benefits and has no guarantor. She believes this prevents her from being offered viewings.
“I felt like a lower-class citizen,” she said. “Especially when people don’t even want to talk to you because you’re on welfare.”
As part of the BBC’s Rental Health Week, listeners, viewers and readers from across the UK shared their current experiences of the rental market.
The number of rental properties in Great Britain has not really decreased. In fact, it has barely moved since 2016.
But people like Ruth have a hard time because they are competing with many more others when looking for housing. Demand for rental housing has risen by more than half above normal, figures from Zoopla show.
Zoopla gets its information from listings on its website, which cover 85% of UK properties listed for rent.
People who want to move but can’t find anything new anywhere have to stay. That means her old apartment won’t become available for someone else to move into. And when people can’t move, fewer properties go vacant and appear in the real estate agent’s window.
And even if people are lucky enough to find a suitable place, they will probably have to pay a lot more than before.
- What are your rights when you rent?
“We have seen a sharp increase in demand for rental accommodation due to record high immigration and the reopening of the economy [after the pandemic]said Richard Donnell, Executive Director for Research at Zoopla.
“But at the same time, we just haven’t seen a lot of new investment by landlords in rental housing. And that leads to a real scarcity of availability.”
Although the number of people who need a rental property has increased, landlords are unable to meet this need.
Higher mortgage rates, tax changes and new rental home regulations have made it harder and less profitable to buy and rent homes.
Lou Valdini from York has been a landlord for 20 years. He used to rent three apartments, now he only has one. The mortgage on his property has gone from £294 a month to £621 and says he’s “not making any money” and is “actually losing a lot”.
As well as the mortgage, Mr Valdini has to pay thousands of pounds a year in ground rent, insurance, utilities and agent’s fees. He has just increased his tenants’ rent to £645 a month.
“She hasn’t missed a day’s rent since lockdown so I’m not going to raise the rent by an extortionate amount on her,” he said. “But it means I’m steaming them.”
A large number of landlords are exiting the market – 11% of homes for sale on Zoopla were previously rented.
For others, short-term rentals like vacation rentals or Airbnb offer better returns than long-term renters. Zoopla has seen short-term rentals triple since 2019.
But with private renters spending, on average, almost a third of their income on rent, Mr Donnell and other experts believe rents can’t go any further as people simply can’t afford to pay more.
The government is due to introduce a new Renters’ Reform Bill in England before the summer, which should restore balance to the market and give tenants more security. Housing rules are different in each of the decentralized countries, Scotland currently has tighter controls on landlords than the rest of the UK.
Emily, her partner and their young son MJ had rented a two bedroom flat in Aylesbury. The landlord wanted to increase the rent at the end of the current tenancy, but the family could not afford it. They started looking for another place to live, but it was frustrating.
“There were times I was like, ‘Yes, I’ll take this,'” Emily said. “I love it, it’s perfect, and then they’re like, ‘It’s gone’.” It was, she says, “the most stressful time of my life – apart from having a baby”.
After months of searching, the family had to move out of their home earlier this month. But they hadn’t found anything new, so they had to move back in with their families — meaning Emily and her partner live under different roofs.
“It was really difficult in our current relationship,” she says.
The family now has one goal: “To find a two-bed house, then the three of us will have enough space.”
- How much can my landlord increase the rent? It depends on your agreement, but increases must be fair, realistic and local, and there is usually a one-month notice period.
- Can my landlord terminate me? Landlords must follow strict rules, such as B. a written termination. After the notice period has expired, the landlord can initiate judicial eviction proceedings.
- Can a landlord refuse social benefits? No. DSS policies are unlawful discrimination. says charity shelter. Some councils have lists of private landlords who rent to tenants who apply for benefits.
- Can the landlord say no children? This can also be discrimination. To contest this, you must show that you can afford the rent and that the property is a reasonable size, Shelter says.
- what about pets Landlords should not issue blanket bans on pets and must provide a good reason for refusing them – such as if the property is too small.
Find out more about your tenancy rights and where to get help here.
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