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Rental and housing benefit tenants suffering at the hands of landlords (13 March 2014)

Date: 13/03/2014
Duncan Lewis, Housing Solicitors, Rental and housing benefit tenants suffering at the hands of landlords

The chair of the Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH) in Scotland has told a CIH Scotland conference that housing benefits have made landlords in the social housing sector “complacent”.

Elaine Gibson said that the housing benefit system provided social housing landlords with an assured source of income which arrived “with little effort”.

Ms Gibson also criticised staff at Jobcentre Plus – whom she said had become “gatekeepers” to the benefits system, rather than being there to help people when they were most in need.

“No scandal has been more successfully covered up than the appalling truth about what is happening to Britain’s poorest people,” said Ms Gibson – who said she understood better than most the issues involved, having once lost her own home and run up debts, leading her to become homeless while having to support a young son.
“The emphasis of the benefits system has shifted,” she said. “Jobcentre staff used to be there to help people find jobs. Now their role is to gatekeep benefits, finding ways to sanction Jobseeker's Allowance for the most trivial reasons – leaving many of our tenants with no money to live on for weeks on end.
“If you had told me back in 1980 that thirty-odd years down the line people would be relying on food parcels to feed their families, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Ms Gibson said.

“But that is the reality for many today and it’s getting worse.”

Recent research by homeless charity Shelter has revealed that many rental tenants now include families who are unable to buy their own home – and many are living in poor quality housing stock too afraid to confront their landlord over maintenance issues in case they are evicted.

Tenants in private rented accommodation were also found to fear tackling their landlord over issues like disrepair because of the threat they might be evicted as a result. Some tenants were even paying for repairs to rented accommodation themselves rather than face a confrontation with their landlord over disrepair issues.

Shelter claims that in 2013, more than 200,000 rental tenants lost their rented homes in “revenge evictions”.

Research by Shelter and YouGov revealed the figures – although Conservative Housing Minister Kris Hopkins sad the numbers showed that “revenge evictions” were “rare”.

“Today's YouGov poll clearly shows that 'revenge evictions' are rare – while the recent English Housing Survey showed the vast majority of tenants satisfied with the service their landlords provide,” he said.

“But all tenants have a right to expect a decent service for the rents they pay –
and it is clearly unacceptable that anyone should hold back from requesting repairs out of fear of being evicted.

“We're determined to root out the rogue landlords who are behind this behaviour – and have provided guidance and over £6.5 million to councils to tackle them,” Mr Hopkins added.


Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors


Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of housing solicitors and can advise tenants in rented accommodation on issues which include:

  • Disrepair

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For expert help with housing law and housing benefits contact Duncan Lewis housing solicitors on 020 7923 4020.


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