Rental reform bill misses the point as tenants’ misery continues

Never mind pets, sky high inflation and a shortage of supply dogging the market, writes James Moore

Just under a fifth of private renters in England and Wales would ideally have bought a home already if they could, according to the National Residential Landlords Association (PA)

There was more fluff attached to the publication of the Renters (Reform) Bill than the floor of a poodle parlour, with much of the attention focused on the end of pet bans.

Pet policies are the smallest of small potatoes when one considers the scale of the challenge faced by anyone trying to navigate Britain’s dysfunctional private rental housing market.

You can start with the cost. Zoopla reports rents hitting 10-year highs with the average cost reaching £1,120 a month in February 2023 – up from £1,010 a year ago. The situation is worse still for tenants in London, where the average new let costs close to £2,000. The Evening Standard recently described the capital’s market as “frenzied” and I don’t think that is an exaggeration.