A COUPLE have told of their horror of being evicted after their landlord hiked up the rent by 12 per cent and left them “powerless”.
Daisy and Ramona are being forced to leave their home in Brighton after four years against their will.
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The pair, both in their 20s, signed a contract that capped their rent at a five per cent increase per year.
However, their landlord recently decided to over double that.
“Shortly after the mortgage crisis and interest rate situation happened, we were contacted and asked to raise the rent by 12 per cent,” Daisy told the BBC.
The young couple responded to their landlord by citing their contract, which should have prevented such a hike in price.
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Immediately afterwards, they were served a Section 21 notice, which gives landlords the power to send tenants packing with only two months’ notice without having to give a reason.
The eviction has devastated the pair.
“It’s very upsetting, because it’s a situation in which you are powerless and there is very little I can do to stay in this place I have lived in for the last four years and has become my home,” said a tearful Daisy.
“Everyday becomes a lot more stressful and insecure,” added Ramona.
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A third of Brighton’s homes are privately let, which means that the city’s local authority has the second-highest proportion of private renters outside of London.
The result has seen rising rents and a spiralling demand for homes.
In May 2022, the government announced they would abolish Section 21 – a move that some argue has led to a sudden increase in eviction of tenants before the law comes into place.
Citizens advice reported that they had received an increase in calls to its helpline on this exact issue.
Landlord Andrew told the BBC that he blames the changes to the legislation for his decision to want to sell his rental properties.
“On a personal level, I’ve got seven properties I am losing money on month by month.”
He continued: “The upcoming abolition of Section 21 has caused some landlords to advance their plans and take the decision to issue these notices now.”
What should I do if I’m worried about high rent costs?
If you want to talk to someone about how to deal with your landlord, you can contact Shelter or Citizens Advice, or Housing Advice NI in Northern Ireland.
These organisations will also be able to talk to you about what entitlements you might be able to claim to help pay your rent if you’re on a low income.
Check if you can get help elsewhere to pay your rent.
If you’re on a low income or get benefits you might be able to get Housing Benefit (or housing costs payments through Universal Credit) for example.
There are also rules a landlord has to follow when they want to increase rent for regulated tenancies – this is called fair rent.
They can only increase the rent up to the maximum set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
A landlord can ask the agency to review rent every two years, but if something has affected the value they can ask earlier.
Tenant’s must be given a notice of increase and a landlord can charge the new rent from the date it’s registered.
Landlords also need to complete a ‘notice of increase’ form and send it to their tenant.
You can backdate your notice of rent increase for up to 4 weeks.
Can my landlord increase my rent?
Your landlord can increase your rent – but there are rules they should follow.
Firstly, it’s important to know what type of tenancy you’re in – this determines when your landlord can increase your rent.
Your tenancy agreement should have a section on when the price you’re paying will be reviewed.
For a periodic tenancy, which is a rolling on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis, your landlord cannot normally increase the rent more than once a year without your agreement.
Your landlord must give you a minimum of one month’s notice (if you pay rent weekly or monthly).
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If you have a yearly tenancy, they must give you 6 months’ notice.
If a tenancy agreement doesn’t include a rent review clause, or it’s expired and the landlord still wishes to raise the rent, a landlord can use a a section 13 notice.
