Single mother landed with 20% rent increase calls for rent controls

A single mother whose landlord has increased her rent by 20% is campaigning for a cap on how much landlords can raise rent in the UK.

Bridget Chapman, 56, from Darlington in County Durham, who has been a private renter her entire adult life, was given just a month’s notice by her landlord when they increased her rent by £100.

A recent survey by campaign group Generation Rent revealed that 61% of renters said their landlord had asked them to pay a higher rent in the past 12 months with almost a quarter (24%) reporting an increase of over £100.

Ms Chapman said that while she welcomes reforms in the Renters’ Rights Bill going through Parliament, they do “nothing to stop shock rent rises” like her family is currently faced with.

The Renters’ Rights Bill seeks to introduce an end to no-fault evictions, stopping bidding wars for tenancies, helping tenants challenge unreasonable rent increases and preventing landlords from demanding more than a month’s rent in advance from a new tenant.

“I just got so angry that the landlord can raise the rent whenever he wants and give me a month’s notice,” Ms Chapman told the PA news agency.

“I’m paying a lot more now and it’s having a knock on effect on everything else.

“I’m a single parent, so even though my kids are now adults they’re still young and I’m still supporting them.

“I have a very low disposable income so it’s really difficult especially since everything else has gone up including gas and electricity.”

Ms Chapman, who says she feels “let down by the system” experienced extreme dampness in her previous home which led her to being rushed to hospital with pneumonia.

“We moved into the property and I’ve got asthma, so the damp started to creep in,” she said.

“We didn’t realise how bad until the mould was literally black.

“The landlord gave me a dehumidifier which literally did nothing.

“Luckily I was okay. I survived, but when I had to recover, I had to go back to the house, which was full of damp and mould.”

Ms Chapman hoped her new home which she has been renting for eight years would be better but she now feels she has suffered a “huge blow” to her security.

With rents in her local area being so high, she does not feel she can move to a more affordable option.

Ms Chapman launched her petition which has gained over 45,000 signatures on Sunday, as she feels she “can’t do anything else”.

“Doing this petition is my way to make my voice heard,” she said. “The Government firstly needs to cap rent increases. They also need to look at capping gas and electricity bills.

“Wages are not going up, so people are struggling even more, because they’re on the same wage and they pay more money for everything else.

“You get people who are working hard, full-time, and they’re having to go to food banks. I think that’s so wrong.”

Generation Rent says its research shows the “most common” reason landlords put up rent is not higher costs, but rather to increase their revenue as local rents rise.

Almost a third (31%) of landlords blamed higher market rents, while a further 7% stated that the increase was because of letting agent advice.

“This is indefensible. If renters are to finally feel secure in our own homes, we need protections from shock rent rises,” a Generation Rent spokesperson said.

“Private landlords should not be able to raise the rent higher than inflation or wages. The Government can and must act to change this.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Through our Renters’ Rights Bill we are taking decisive action to transform the private renting sector for the better and empower tenants to tackle unreasonable rent hikes.

“Alongside this, as part of our Plan for Change we are putting more money in people’s pockets by protecting payslips from higher taxes and increasing the minimum wage to deliver pay rises of up to £1,400 a year for millions of low-income workers.”