A bold new campaign is tackling the biggest cause of homelessness

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On 13 June, Generation Rent launched its ‘End Section 21’ campaign. Evictions from private rented tenancies are now the biggest cause of homelessness in the UK. A landlord can terminate someone’s tenancy at just two months’ notice, meaning many renters are stuck in a revolving door of insecurity and homelessness.

A vicious cycle

Generation Rent’s launch event featured multiple speakers, including journalist Dawn Foster and representatives from renters’ groups such as ACORN and London Renters Union.

Foster spoke of the perils of renting privately in the current market:

Read on...

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And the never-ending threat of evictions:

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This insecurity can take over people’s lives:

Research by Generation Rent found that, compared to homeowners and people in more secure council tenancies, private renters are more likely to experience stress or anxiety, less likely to know multiple people in their area, and less likely to feel their home looks the way they would like it to.

Who is benefiting?

The event also touched on who really benefits from an expensive and insecure private sector:

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An audience member summed up the power imbalance perfectly:

1 in 7 private tenants are spending over half their income on rent. And research by the Resolution Foundation concluded that up to a third of millennials could be renting their entire life. At the same time, landlords over 50 years old hold £760bn of wealth in property.

Don’t despair

But the event also showed there is power in the collective:

More and more people are renting privately, but this also means that the power of renters is growing.

It’s time to fight back and demand secure homes for all.

Get Involved!

– Generation Rent is organising a ‘thunderclap’ on 18 June. Sign up here to join hundreds of others sharing the ‘end section 21’ message.

Sign up with Generation Rent to learn more about their campaigns and local renters’ groups.

Featured image via Flickr/Paul Mison

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