The UK Government is expected to introduce the new Renters’ Rights Bill to Parliament in Autumn 2024, so the release of detailed reports from the 2022-23 English Housing Survey on 18 July 2024 offers a timely snapshot of the landscape of the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Notably, 82% of private renters reported being satisfied with their accommodation, suggesting that issues may be concentrated in only a small section of the market.
Private tenants are still most likely to live in non-decent, hazardous, or damp homes, although 2.1 million owner-occupiers also live in properties with at least one category 1 hazard. Damp is a particular issue for the PRS, with private tenants five times more likely to live in a home affected by dampness than owner-occupiers.
Rural homes are twice as likely to have a category 1 hazard present than urban properties. Houses in villages and hamlets tend to be older, less energy efficient, and have higher levels of disrepair, with 26% failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS), which will ultimately be a mandatory requirement for the PRS according to the likely future Government policy.
Propertymark supports the UK governments proposals to extend the DHS and Awaabs Law to rented homes and has long campaigned for robust training, qualifications, and competency standards for property managers, as well as adequate resources to enforce standards.
As a report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) calls for urgent action from the UK Government to set out a timetable for a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector (PRS), Propertymark reiterates the need for robust training, qualifications, and competency standards for property managers across both sectors, as well as adequate resources to enforce standards.
In 2022-23, most private renters (63%, 424,000 households) who had moved in the last 12 months stated they ended their tenancy by choice. Job-related reasons were the most common driver, followed by wanting a larger property or to live in a better area.
Only 9% of PRS households said they had left a property due to eviction, and in most cases, this was because the landlord wanted to sell or move into the property themselves, both reasons will be unaffected by the Renters Reform Bill as drafted). Just over half were asked to leave informally, 37% stated they were issued a Section 21 notice, and only 2% received a Section 8 notice.
78% of private renters said they currently felt safe from eviction, and 68% felt their housing situation was secure enough for them to be confident in making long-term decisions about their lives. Three-quarters said their rented property felt like home, and most also felt invested in their community.
Now Parliament has reconvened The Renters Reform Bill will no doubt begin to move forward so watch this space for further updates.