Quarter of London’s rough sleepers are now ex renters as costs soar



Rachael Burford
Wed, 20 December 2023 at 7:37 am GMT-7·2-min read


Angela Rayner visiting a Crisis centre in central London (Crisis)

Ex-renters make up more than a quarter of people sleeping rough in London, it was revealed on Wednesday.

Around 100 evicted tenants now end up on the capital’s streets every month as the city saw private rents rocket by a record 6.9 per cent on average this year.

Shadow Housing Secretary Angela Rayner visited a Crisis homelessness in central London on Tuesday and warned that rough sleeping cannot be solved without rental reform, including banning no fault evictions.

She said: “The Conservatives’ failure to end no-fault evictions is hitting the most vulnerable in London this Christmas, meaning successful efforts to tackle the homelessness epidemic in the capital are being held back by a government dragging its feet on rental reform.

“We will deliver the long-term change needed to bring an end to this housing crisis with our plan for safe, secure and affordable homes.”

Data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows that 27 per cent of rough sleepers spoken to by outreach workers reported last living in private rental homes.

The only form of previous accommodation more common as a last settled base was staying with family or friends at 31 per cent.

Landlords can currently evict tenants who are not on fixed-term contracts without giving a reason, under Section 21 housing legislation.

After receiving a Section 21 notice they have two months to leave before their landlord can apply for a court order to evict them.

Ministers have been promising to end the practice since 2019, but new laws were delayed indefinitely this year until after the court system is reformed,

Housing Secretary Michael Gove said the ban cannot be enacted before a series of legal improvements are made.

It comes as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said this year saw the highest annual hike in London rents since it began collecting the data in 2006.

It means Londoners now account for a third of the money spent on private rental homes across the UK.

Crisis CEO Matt Downie said: “The ongoing cost of living crisis coupled with rising rents means that thousands more people across the country are under immense pressure. Many households are teetering on the brink, living in fear of falling into arrears and facing the very real threat of eviction and being forced into homelessness.

“Ahead of the general election, it’s absolutely vital that all political parties commit to ending homelessness and delivering the changes needed to do so. Unless the next Westminster government takes the urgent action we need, starting with ending no-fault evictions and a comprehensive plan to deliver more social housing, we will only see thousands more people needlessly pushed into homelessness.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has quadrupled City Hall’s rough sleeping budget since 2016, which Labour says has helped more than 16,000 people in the capital off the streets.