Bridget Chapman and Generation Rent will deliver the petition to 10 Downing Street at 2:30pm on Tuesday 8th July.
Chapman launched the petition, backed by renters’ rights group Generation Rent, after her landlord increased the rent on her County Durham home by £100 — a hike that left her struggling financially.
She said: “As a single parent living with my two children, with one income to live on, the impact will ripple through my life. I feel broken down by this system. Extreme damp in my previous home led to me being rushed to hospital with pneumonia. I hoped this new home would be better, but once again, I’ve suffered a huge blow to my security. Rents in my local area are high, and I cannot simply jump to another more affordable option… I was already struggling to cover my essentials; this shock rent rise will put even more of a strain on me.”
Generation Rent’s winter 2024 survey found that 61% of renters reported that their landlord had asked them to pay a higher rent in the past 12 months while almost a quarter (24%) reported an increase over £100. This compares to just 9% reporting hikes of this size in July 2022, almost a threefold increase. Meanwhile, the 2024 English Private Landlord survey found one in five landlords hiked rent by 15% or more the last time they renewed or extended a tenancy.
Generation Rent commented: “The most common reason that renters reported they had been given for their rent increases, was not because their landlord faced increased costs, or was struggling more, it was simply because of the rising rewards of ‘the market’. Almost a third (31%) of landlords had blamed higher market rents, while a further 7% stated that the increase was because of letting agent advice. This is indefensible. Private landlords should not be able to raise the rent higher than inflation or wages. The Government can and must act to change this.”
