Counting The Cost
For a one-bedroom flat in London, the median private rental cost £1,698 in June 2025. That’s 55.6% higher than across UK as a whole. It’s actually higher than the UK median rental cost of a two bedroom home, which was £1,230. In London, a two bedroom place cost £2,156 to rent (75.3% higher than the national average), according to The Money Charity Statistics.
While the London Living Wage is £13.85 per hour, two in ten workers are struggling to survive on less. Very low pay is all-too common. Many of us are in insecure jobs or can’t get enough hours and high housing costs are a big part of the reason that living costs here are among the highest in the country.
Under the circumstances, perhaps it’s unsurprising that criminality thrives in landlordism here. Workers pay £120+ cash every week to share a room with two, three, four or more others, because it’s the only way they can afford a bed to sleep in. The recent BBC exposé of rooms for rent under the radar lays bare the grim reality of lots of workers’ lives in the UK capital.
Much discussion around solving this housing crisis focuses on building new homes. But the UK already has levels of housing stock per person comparable with Netherlands, for example. Housing stock here far exceeds that of places such as Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, where housing is more affordable. In Mapping under-occupation, Eleanor Benton suggests a shift to tenure that allows greater democratic control over how space is used in order to make more efficient use of space. The paper makes the case for public acquisition of existing homes that are vacant and of poor standard to help achieve this. Any new homes built should be for social rent and close to existing infrastructure. Of course, all this takes much more time than would be needed to introduce rent controls.
Justice denied; rent repayment order
Rent paid in advance, when no offence has yet been committed, cannot be the subject of a rent repayment order (RRO) for a licensing offence. This came as bad news for Vineeta, who had to pay six months’ rent in advance to secure a tenancy.
Vineeta’s tenancy agreement began on her moving-in day, the day after she had paid six months rent. Until she moved in, the house had been empty. A week later, three others moved in. Because the local council is trying to ensure that landlords provide safe and decent homes, Additional licensing is in effect locally. Home to four, unrelated people, their address should have been licensed.
The house was not well maintained by the landlord. There was only one dustbin and one recycling bin, for example, insufficient for four, separate households. Vineeta hated seeing bulging carrier bags full of household waste piled up in the untidy front garden. The light fitting in the communal hallway was broken and in the kitchen, some cupboard doors were hanging from a single hinge. She was glad to leave after six months, the period covered by her advance payment.
When Vineeta learnt that she had been living in an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), she wanted to apply for a rent repayment order. But at the time she paid her rent, the property was not being used as an HMO—it was unoccupied. She was dismayed to be advised that the First tier Tribunal would dismiss her application on that basis.
The Upper Tribunal confirms that there is no jurisdiction to make a rent repayment order for a licensing offence where the only rent paid prior to the start of the tenancy. An RRO can only be made in relation to rent paid during the period the landlord is committing the offence. In Vineeta’s case, that wasn’t until the others moved in.
When the Renters’ Rights Bill passes into law, landlords (or their agents) will not be allowed to demand multiple months rent in advance. The Bill limits advance payment to one month’s rent. As well as facing less financial hardship, renters who fall prey to terrible landlords will then be better placed to assert their rights effectively.
About Deposit Protection
Although the landlord (or agent) holds the deposit money, it’s still your money. That’s why the landlord has to protect your deposit within 30 days of the start of your tenancy. Government-backed and independent, the three deposit protection schemes are
Each of the schemes works in a slightly different way. The ‘prescribed information’ holds the details you will need. As well as confirming which scheme is protecting your money, it explains how to get your money back, what deductions might be claimed for and how to challenge any proposed deductions from your deposit. The landlord/agent should provide you with a copy of the prescribed information within 30 days of the start of your tenancy. If you need to know more, there’s lots of information for tenants on each of the scheme websites (links above).
As the landlord/their agent collects your money, it’s their responsibility to administer protection of your money. If they fail to protect your deposit money within 30 days of the start of your tenancy, you are entitled to claim compensation through the court. The sum awarded in compensation will be between one and three times the total deposit if a landlord/agent
- fails to protect your deposit within 30 days of the start of your tenancy or
- fails to protect your deposit at all during your tenancy or
- fails to give you ‘the prescribed information’.
Today, deposit protection rules only apply to assured shorthold tenancies. When the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law, deposit protection will apply to the new assured periodic tenancies, similarly.
Some dishonest operators will give you a licence agreement, instead of an assured shorthold tenancy agreement, to try to avoid their legal obligations. But a tenancy is created through practice, not paperwork. The landlord/agent issuing a sham licence is in breach of their obligations under Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and could be denying your legal rights under the Housing Act 1988. Everyone who thinks that they might have been issued with a sham licence should report the landlord to trading standards department of their local council. Trading standards officers have legal powers to act and their services are provided free of charge.
Single Parents’ Rights
If you, dear renter, head a single parent family, please contribute to Ella Davies’ campaign for Single Parents’ Rights by completing a quick survey? The survey explores single parents’ experiences of private renting. Findings will be shared anonymously with politicians, NGOs and the media, to push for positive change. If you’re not a single parent in the private rented sector, please share news of the campaign, most especially the survey, with someone who is?
