Protesters have said “people are being left with impossible choices to make” due to rising rent prices.
Campaigners from the London Renter’s Union took to Cavendish Square in London today to demand housing justice.
Their aims are to “transform the housing system so that everyone has access to an affordable, secure and decent home”.
They are also calling for more rent controls, decent housing standards, and public housing to be made available to all.
Campaigners are also calling for more rent controls
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Protesters hit out at rising rent prices
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One campaigner told GB News: “London has become a really unaffordable city for so many renters like myself. We’re here today calling on the Government to cut the rent. We have rent controls in many European countries, and we used to have it here in this country.”
“We were hoping that the Government might take stronger action. And so far it seems they haven’t. There’s still time for them to.”
Although the LRU successfully campaigned to scrap section 21, some people are worried politicians may not “conform to their demands”.
Another man said: “I think the next big thing is to ensure that the bill that actually does pass, that it does conform to our demands.
“I think there are still ways for MPs to kind of wiggle around the renters’ demands that we have by for example giving landlords loads of other reasons to evict people.
“So ensuring we’re satisfied with the bill is the next micro-step and then after that, I think, widescale rent control is what should happen.”
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One campaigner told GB News: ‘London has become a really unaffordable city for so many renters like myself’
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One woman said 80% of the market rent is too high for the key workers
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“I think inevitably housing is one of these areas like healthcare where there is always going to be an incentive for someone to rip you off and take advantage of you, so this rise in private landlords is really unsurprising, but also incredibly infuriating,” he added.
Since the end of the pandemic renters have seen their rent increase by £270 per month. When asked what he would do if he had that extra money, the campaigner said it would take the stress off work and make ends meet.
“I could save. There’s always that thing right where you pay more in rent than you would for a mortgage, wouldn’t you? It would really allow me to save it. It would make less stressful ends to my months right before I received my paycheck. It would just be much more relaxing to be a Londoner.”
Some people have said that high levels of immigration are fueling the UK’s housing crisis, however, the campaigners today have said this is inaccurate.
Another man told GB News that people are being forced out of their homes by rising rent
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Campaigners say migrants are not fueling the housing crisis
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“We’re here today to say that it isn’t migrants that are responsible for the housing crisis. It isn’t just a lack of homes. We’re here today to say that the problem with the housing system is it’s geared towards the profit of landlords and investors. People are being forced out of their homes and forced out of their communities by rising rents. So we urgently need rent controls,” said one attendee.
“In the not-too-distant past, the majority of people in many London boroughs were housed in social housing, and there was a recognition that housing was too important to give over to the hands of private landlords. And what we’ve seen in the last 20, 30 years is the Government promoting the private rented sector as a way for people who already have money to invest and exploit working-class people.”
“People shouldn’t have to be cutting in the fifth richest country in the world. People shouldn’t be having to cut back on food, on essentials to pay their landlord. Rents have risen so much faster than wages, that people are being left with impossible choices to make.”
He also referenced Angela Rayner’s promise to double council house building:
“Angela Rayner has promised a social housing revolution but hasn’t promised the cash that can make that revolution a reality, even if they do hit that 1.5 million housing target.“
