Our Better Deal for Renters campaign strives for a better system for Hackney’s 34,000 plus private renters. They make up 1 in 3 households. The campaign supports tenants, challenges the government, and works with landlords.
Our commitment
The private sector is poorly regulated. This allows:
substandard conditions
mistreatment from landlords
unstable tenancies
extortionate rents
86.9% of Hackney residents think it’s important or very important to keep working on the Better Renting campaign. The campaign aims to improve the private rental sector and address issues with rogue landlords.
Not having enough homes to rent is considered the second largest challenge facing Hackney. That’s why we’ve pushed for the changes we want to see to make renting in Hackney better.
We’re campaigning for:
A better deal for private renters - fair rent and quality homes
We will continue pushing the government to implement the promised end to Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and the removal of end dates from tenancies.
We want to see the government devolve powers to local authorities, so that councils can control rents to bring them in line with inflation and real changes in income.
Borough-wide landlord licensing across as many wards in Hackney as possible
We’re campaigning for borough-wide landlord licensing which legally commits landlords to meet acceptable standards. We will apply to the Secretary of State to renew and extend our existing landlord licensing scheme. We will continue to call for the passing of powers to Local Authorities to licence their landlords.
A ban on bidding wars
We’re campaigning for a ban on bidding wars so that the advertised price of a rental home is the final price that tenants pay.
Licensing of ‘Airbnb’ style short-term lets
In May 2019, Hackney had the third highest number of short-term lets of all London Boroughs. This reduces the amount of homes available in the borough, pushing up housing prices and increasing rents. We’re calling for licensing to better understand how this market is operating and how it impacts our borough.
Raising the standards in the private rental sector and extending Awaab’s Law
We’re campaigning for the government to hold private landlords to the same standards and responsibilities as social housing landlords.
We can only use the powers given to us by the government, so we’re calling on landlords to work with us and their private renters to create a fairer system.
Landlords can help by:
Supporting your tenants
We’re encouraging landlords to be flexible, understanding and to give their tenants the support they need, even if that means going beyond legal requirements.
For example, providing assistance with rent shortfalls and time to make overdue payments.
Using empty properties
Every property that sits empty is a missed opportunity for a family to have a safe and secure home.