Homes & Property | Renting
Facing Uncertainty: The Struggles of London Renters
For many renters in London, the experience of finding stable housing has become increasingly fraught with anxiety and despair. As rents continue to rise, tenants are taking to the streets to voice their frustrations.
Ruth Bloomfield reports on the plight of individuals like Saf Mustafa, who has moved homes a dozen times over the past ten years, and Marco Paris, who lives in constant fear of eviction. Alisha Clarke, meanwhile, is grappling with the challenges of raising a young family in temporary housing.
According to Crisis, rough sleeping has become a normalized aspect of life in London. The London Councils report that 90,000 children are currently living in temporary accommodation. Compounding the issue, private housebuilding has seen a staggering decline of 84 percent, dropping from 33,782 new homes in 2016 to just 5,547 last year, as reported by residential development analyst Molior.
In response to these alarming trends, a national housing demonstration is set to take place in London on April 18. Various advocacy groups, including the London Renters Union and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), are calling for urgent reforms, such as the implementation of rent controls and increased investment in new council housing.
Alisha Clarke’s Struggles with Temporary Housing
Alisha Clarke’s experience highlights the urgent need for more social housing in London. After nearly seven years in temporary accommodation, she has come to realize that securing a roof over her family’s head often comes at the cost of her autonomy.
At 29, Clarke, originally from Catford, found herself living with her mother when she had her first two children, now aged 12 and seven. In 2019, with her family home becoming overcrowded, she sought assistance from Lewisham Council and was placed in a mother-and-baby unit in Sydenham. She later moved to a two-bedroom flat in New Cross, where she lived for seven years and welcomed two more children, now aged seven and five. The situation with their father is complicated, and currently, there is no contact.
Last November, Clarke received unexpected news from the council: due to overcrowding, she was to be relocated to a three-bedroom flat in Tooting, eight miles away. The council warned that refusal would lead to eviction. „I had nowhere else to go,“ she recalls.
Adjusting to life in Tooting has proven challenging. „I have no friends or family, no support from anyone,“ she states. The move has also introduced a host of unforeseen logistical issues. Clarke chose not to transfer her children to a new school, resulting in a daily commute of about four hours to New Cross. This requires her to wake up at 6 a.m. to prepare her four young children for the day, a routine that takes a toll on everyone.
„The children are tired and fall asleep in class, or they are just miserable and have no energy,“ Clarke explains. „They want to go to the park with their friends after school and we can’t because we have to get home, and they are very upset about that.“
Furthermore, when public transport fails, her children arrive late to school, leading to threats of legal action due to attendance issues.
The move has also sparked a dispute regarding her cats, which she adopted during a mouse infestation in her New Cross flat. The new accommodation does not permit pets, and the council is pressuring her to find new homes for them.
Clarke’s rent for the three-bedroom flat is £500 per week, exceeding her eligible housing benefit, forcing her to find additional funds or face eviction. Although she is on the waiting list for permanent housing, there has been no progress after all these years. She has reached out to her local MP for assistance but has received no help. „The whole dynamic has really put me sort of at a loss,“ she says, noting that she is expecting her fifth child in August. „It really is very stressful.“
A spokesperson for Lewisham Council stated that the policy aims to place families in temporary accommodation as close to their original borough as possible. However, due to a severe shortage of affordable housing and over 2,400 households requiring support, this is not always feasible. „We recognize some placements are not ideal. In this instance, the council secured the best available option,“ the spokesperson added.
Saf Mustafa’s Unstable Rental Experience
For private renter Saf Mustafa, the expectation of having control over her living situation has proven elusive. After moving to London for university, she has relocated 12 times in the past decade. „It would be things like the landlord wanting to put the rent up, or me subletting and the lease coming to an end,“ she explains. „Some years I have moved three or four times, and I don’t think it has ever been my choice.“
Mustafa currently resides in a flat in Forest Hill with three friends, splitting the rent of £1,950 per month, plus additional bills. While she acknowledges that this arrangement is relatively affordable, it still consumes a significant portion of her income as an environmental researcher and part-time waitress. However, the living conditions leave much to be desired. „It is a big old house which has been made into flats, and there is damp and mould throughout,“ she notes. „The landlord has got people living at the end of the garden, and there have been mice.“
Currently, they are attempting to address issues with the electricity supply, as the billing for the ground-floor flat is being charged to the first-floor tenants. „If we put too much pressure, he threatens to evict us,“ Mustafa claims. „If you are renting, you always have to balance asking for repairs against the potential consequences of doing so.“
Mustafa dreams of owning her own home and establishing roots but feels that such aspirations are out of reach. „What I would like now is just the chance to rent securely and not be at risk of being kicked out,“ she expresses.
Marco Paris’s Precarious Living Situation
Marco Paris, who has lived in London for nearly 20 years, finds himself in a similarly precarious situation. Despite his long tenure in the city, he has not been able to secure stable housing. Like Mustafa, he has moved from rental to rental, unable to save enough for a deposit on a home of his own.
Currently, Paris resides in a one-bedroom flat in Harrow-on-the-Hill, where he has lived for about five years. When he first moved in, the rent was £950 per month, but his landlord has imposed significant annual increases that Paris struggles to meet. After contentious negotiations, aided by community union Acorn, he has managed to keep his rent at £1,200 per month. „My situation does not feel safe,“ he admits. „I don’t have a contract; they could come back at any time asking for another increase. It is not the right way to live — I feel on the edge.“
„I understand market rents are what they are, but they are set by landlords and agents, and we are forced to accept them, or be evicted,“ Paris states. „It is like blackmail.“
At 55, Paris has explored alternative housing options but has found little that is more affordable, aside from shared accommodations or houses in multiple occupation. He feels too old to move into a shared home and dislikes the idea of living in a single room among strangers. Consequently, he remains in his current flat, hoping his landlord will not use the new Renters’ Rights Act as a pretext to raise his rent again. Simple pleasures, like enjoying a coffee, have become luxuries he can no longer afford. „It is not life,“ he concludes.
Bildquelle: Bildquelle: Flanker Lee auf Unsplash
