Call for urgent government action over PRS ‘crisis’ for single homeless people

“These individuals are stuck in a state of limbo: often ready to rebuild their lives, but unable to access the stable roof over their heads to do so, victim to a broken system and the desertification of the homes they need,” he wrote in the report’s foreword.

He described it as a “clear crisis” and a “system at breaking point”.

The report calls for a “bold new approach” to tackling the “injustice in the PRS”. 

The Renters’ Rights Bill should be “robust enough to increase the rights of those who are accessing the cheapest end of the market including those who have experienced homelessness”, the report recommended.

It also said the bill must deliver a “more secure PRS, a stronger approach on the enforcement on poor conditions and illegal practices”.

This should include an “end to discrimination by agents and landlords when advertising for and selecting new tenants, for all renters even those who are most disadvantaged in the market”, the report said.

It said that current measures to stop landlords from asking for tenants not on benefits were “completely ineffective”.

The report also called on the government to have a “realistic plan” to deliver the “promised new social rent homes”.

For councils, the report recommended they increase their scrutiny of agents and landlords operating “at the cheapest end of the PRS”, which should include “proactive inspections and investigations to challenge poor conditions and illegal practices”.

It also called for an end to no-fault evictions, as promised by the government, with a “credible approach to enforcing this”.

A MHCLG spokesperson said: “Far too many people are experiencing homelessness, and we want to make it easier for them to find a secure home.

“The government is taking urgent action by working with local leaders on a long-term strategy and will prevent homelessness before it occurs by banning Section 21 evictions and deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation."

Elsewhere, Homelessness charity Crisis and TDS, a tenancy deposit and dispute resolution provider, have launched a three-year project to gather evidence on how to boost access to the PRS for people facing homelessness.

It will include helping people experiencing homelessness with the costs of setting up a home in the PRS. This will include TDS providing money to help with deposits, fund new furniture and the cost of travel to view properties.