‘I just want a fresh start’: Vulnerable young people forced to the streets by ‘unfair’ rental market

Exclusive: Charity services warn that young people could suffer more after Renters’ Rights Act

Many young people are finding themselves trapped in homelessness, unsafe conditions or relying on crisis services due to the “unfair” rental sector, charities have warned.

Vulnerable young people are being rejected by landlords due to their age, profession, lack of guarantor or connection to a homelessness service, charity EveryYouth has found.

The group organises a network of 10 youth homelessness charities across the UK. A survey of these services showed young people are mainly facing discrimination due to not having a family member who can be a guarantor (90 per cent), followed by their income level (70 per cent) despite being able to afford rent.

Kalvin, 18, said he struggled to find a landlord who would accept him, eventually leading him to a homelessness charity in Devon after a period of rough sleeping while being in work.

Originally from Glasgow, Kalvin says he moved to Devon for a “fresh start”, working for two years as an apprentice in the motor trade industry.

Kalvin, 18, says landlords have turned him away because he is ‘too young’ (Handout / EveryYouth)

Although not earning much – an under-18 apprentice wage in the UK is £7.55 an hour – he was making at least £1,000 a month. This would be enough for a one-bedroom flat in North Devon, at an average of £597, or to live in a houseshare. Despite this, Kalvin says finding a place to rent proved impossible.

He said: “There have been multiple occasions where I’d see a place I really, really liked and they wouldn’t accept me because I was too young. It was very difficult to get somewhere that I could stay and call home.

“Places say ‘you’re too young’, or ‘you get paid a certain way’ or ‘you do not get paid enough’, and they question your income. It put a lot of stress on me.”

Kalvin added he is unable to rely on family for money. Now staying in supported accommodation provided by the Amber Foundation, part of the EveryYouth network, the 18-year-old said he’s “actually now interested in college, and they’re helping me go for that”, adding he will be doing his GCSEs so he can pursue a course in IT.

From May this year, new protections will come into effect for renters as part of the Renters’ Rights Act. This will tackle discrimination by making it illegal for landlords to refuse tenants in receipt of benefits or with children, and by ensuring they give a legal reason for eviction.

A survey of 10 youth homelessness charities found that young people are facing discrimination in the rental sector (Getty)

But there is “real concern” that this won’t benefit young renters and could even have a knock-on effect, said Nicholas Connolly, EveryYouth CEO.

He said: “It’ll put greater obligations on landlords, and ultimately they will try harder to avoid those obligations. And there are so many ways that they can discriminate legally.

“The young people that we support have no savings, very little or zero familial support, they’ve got nothing to fall back on. The ones we support are in homelessness services, but they have to leave that at some point. There isn’t social housing for most of them.

“So the only option is the private rented sector, and unless there is some additional support that recognises that they don’t have the social or economic capital that other people in society have, they will just not be able to get anywhere to live.”

Rosie, 19, works full-time, 35 to 45 hours a week, at a pub in Hampshire. She left a “toxic and abusive” family household when she was 17 and moved into supported accommodation provided by EveryYouth partner charity, Step by Step.

The Renters’ Rights Act was spearheaded by former housing minister and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner (Reuters)

When she was ready for independent living, Rosie started looking for a private rental with the help of her support worker. It took eight months for a landlord to accept her.

Rosie said: “I was consistently turned down because of my age or because Step by Step was put on my application [as my current address]. One [landlord] did outright tell me they didn’t want to take me because ‘they know what kind of people end up in Step by Step’ and other landlords beat around the bush and say, ‘We don’t think this house share is for you’.

“I have been fully employed, full-time, since I was 17. It does feel quite condescending. I can’t help the situation I’m in. Landlords should be considering how much you earn and if you can pay the rent. Instead they’re just considering the fact that I’m under the age of 20.”

EveryYouth said it is calling on the government to strengthen protections against discrimination linked to age by introducing meaningful penalties for landlords who discriminate.

At the same time, it calls for greater incentives for landlords to provide tenancies to vulnerable young people, like council-backed guarantors or deposit help schemes, which could help them leave supported or temporary accommodation faster.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Discrimination against anyone based on their age is completely unacceptable.

“Through the Renters’ Rights Act we’ve already taken action to stop discrimination against people who are receiving benefits or have young children.

“We will keep action under review to extend these powers so we can make sure everyone has a safe and decent home.”