This week, Sian Berry launched her campaign for London Mayor, pledging to strengthen renters rights and ban unfair evictions.
To The Evening Standard, Sian said:
‘As a private renter myself, I know the reality of being a tenant in London. As Mayor, I will stand alongside millions of renters like me.
I will push the Government until London gets the powers we need. Almost every other major city has lower rents than London.
Almost every other EU country has better protections for tenants. London needs a Mayor who will be a real champion for renters, bringing down skyrocketing rents, and bringing up the standards of housing.
As a mayor, Sian will fight to fix London’s broken housing system. She wrote in Redpepper:
‘I have been a private renter in London for nearly 25 years. Unlike other candidates for mayor, I understand the struggles renters face, and the urgent need to bring fresh thinking to respecting all our rights.
Despite housing rights activists winning a ban on letting agency fees in 2016, agents are still finding creative ways to levy extortionate charges when they can get away with it. And when you do finally manage to get a flat to live in, you may find the landlord prioritises the property – a lucrative source of income for them – over your health, security and wellbeing. More often than not, this means paying more than you can afford for a property that is smaller than your needs, while the threat of a no-fault eviction hangs over you.
Our situation is not normal. Almost every other major city in Europe has lower rents than London, and stronger rights for renters. Between 2011 and 2018 rents in London grew more than twice as fast as average earnings. In a city where an estimated 2.7 million people live in rented accommodation, the consequences are stark.
The median rent for a one-bedroom home in London is now slightly higher than the median rent for a home with four bedrooms or more elsewhere in the country. As many as a quarter of children in the private rented sector in London live in overcrowded accommodation, and families with children are more likely to be in arrears and vulnerable to other issues.’
Sian will be a mayor that stands up for London. You can learn more about her Green and fair policies by attending this event!
Read the full story on Sian’s plans for London’s renters at The Evening Standard and her piece in Redpepper here.
