The UK government must acknowledge the “explicit and fundamental link” between homes and public health when planning policy for the latter, Generation Rent has urged.
The tenancy advocacy group has published its responses to the government’s ‘Ideas for Change” consultation to develop a 10-year health plan for England.
Generation Rent has used the opportunity to again stress the need for more plentiful housing supply and greater security for tenants.
In conjunction with the National Survivor User Network, Generation Rent found nine in 10 private tenants’ mental health had been negatively impacted by renting. Also, two in five tenants’ physical health had been negatively impacted.
“It is vital that the government adopts a new approach surrounding renting, housing and homelessness – one which centres healthcare at their core,” said Generation Rent in a statement.
Generation Rent identified three areas of concern in relation to public health; insecurity, affordability and poor standards.
Nearly all renters (84%) are worried about eviction with this being a major concern. As such, Generation Rent wants an end to be brought to unfair evictions.
Though this is part of the Renters Rights Bill progressing through parliament, Generation Rent wants amendments to be included that ban unfair rent-hikes. These, it claims, effectively give landlords the ability to evict “by the back door”.
The issue of rent hikes was also a key part of Generation Rent’s concerns around affordability. Here, over half of tenants surveyed (54.8%) admitted to worrying about rent payments “a lot”.
Here, Generation Rent wants the government to do more to stop “unfair and unaffordable” rent rises. Unfreezing Local Housing Allowance has also been called for.
Finally, the group has called for more to be done to improve the standard of housing in the private rented sector.
This would involve extending the Decent Homes Standard to the sector and ensuring local councils can properly enforce this.
