Nine out of 10 tenants surveyed by Generation Rent and the National Survivor User Network (NSUN) said that renting privately had negatively affected their mental health, while almost two in five (39.9%) said it had impacted their physical health.
Renters who had experienced an “unfair” rent increase (55%) were more likely to say that they worry a lot about paying their rent each month than people who had not experienced an “unfair” rent increase (36%).
Similarly, Section 21 no-fault evictions are fuelling anxiety, with people who had experienced one being more likely to worry about being evicted (77%) than people who had not (48%).
The survey received 814 submissions from private renters between June and July 2024.
The research also found that more than three-quarters (78.7%) of private renters worry about affording the rent each month and almost half (45.5%) worry about this “a lot”.
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More than four in five (82.7%) renters worried about being evicted and more than half (57.4%) said this was something that they worry about “a lot”.
Overwhelmingly, renters felt stressed when reporting repairs to their landlord or letting agent, with 88.1% reporting so.
About half (50.2%) of renters stated that a landlord or letting agent had behaved in a way towards them that made them feel physically or psychologically unsafe.
‘Renters live in constant insecurity’
Amy Wells, senior communications and membership manager at NSUN, said: “When we’re talking about mental ill health, distress, and trauma, we have to also talk about the social, material and political factors that create and exacerbate distress, including housing.
“This research spotlights the ways in which issues with private renting, such as affordability, disrepair, and the threat of eviction, [impact] our mental health by not allowing us to feel in control of our lives in a safe and stable home environment. We call for urgent change to the UK private renting system, including through a strengthened Renters’ Rights Bill and improved social security support to help address the spiralling costs of privately renting.”
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: “Because landlords don’t need a reason to evict us, renters live in constant insecurity, which does incredible damage to our psychological wellbeing. It’s no surprise that if you’ve experienced a Section 21 eviction then you are much more likely to live in fear of another. One in five homes are privately rented, yet renting in England is time and again proven to be woefully inadequate to meet the basic needs of individuals and families.
“Now, more than ever, we are in desperate need of vital rental reforms. Westminster is bringing forward a new law to improve security for renters, but it must be made stronger to stop back-door evictions happening through unaffordable rent hikes. This, as well as more funding for local councils and more social and affordable homes, is how we will end the mental health crisis at the heart of private renting.”
This article was first published on Your Mortgage‘s sister site, YourMoney.com. Read: Tenants say renting ‘harms their mental health’
