They say millennials are a bunch of politically disengaged layabouts. We’re so apathetic about everything that all we do is share cat memes with each other for the lulz in between watching Netflix series.
They’re wrong.
Today The Debrief can announce that our campaign to Make Renting Fair has been won. We have changed the law with the help from our reader, Baroness Olly Grender, the Liberal Democrats and Shelter.
In today’s Autumn Statement the Chancellor will announce that rip off, unfair and unjustifiable letting agents’ fees are going to be banned. We’re waiting for full details of how this is going to be implemented but there’s no doubt that this is a huge victory.
There are now over 4 million households renting in England and this change will benefit all of them. It’s expected that by 2025 over half of the under 40s will be renting, unable to buy their own home, the success of our campaign demonstrates that government are finally listening to millennials.
However, there’s still a lot of work to be done. There is no silver bullet for this country’s housing crisis. We need a safer, fairer and more secure private rental system which works for tenants, not just letting agents and landlords.
Today’s victory marks a step in the right direction but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Baroness Olly Grender, who has worked closely with The Debrief on the Make Renting Fair Campaign, has been working on a Renters’ Rights Billin the House of Lords since the beginning of the year, it has now reached its final stages.
The Debrief spoke with her this morning:
'Our relentless campaigning to get tenants’ letting fees banned has finally paid off and the Government has recognised this is the right thing to do. The upfront costs of renting are far too high, pushing many people into debt just to pay the fees, and stopping others from being able to move into a rented home.'
'It’s no coincidence that just five days after the debate on our Renters’ Rights Bill, which urged the Government to ban these fees, they have agreed to make this important change. Now they must agree to our calls to make renting safer and more secure too.'
Thank you to everyone who signed our petition, you made this happen and it will have a positive impact on the lives of millions of renters in England.
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Make Renting Fair: Why We're Calling For The End Of Letting Fees
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.