Almost half of private renters in England are living in cold, damp or mouldy homes, even during the summer, according to a new Citizens Advice poll.

It found 45% are currently battling damp, mould or excessive cold, while 48% of these households have been living with the disrepair for more than a year.

The charity’s data showed private renters on low wages were expected to spend 53% of their income on energy and housing costs this year compared with 46% for those living in social housing and 40% for those who own their homes.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty (pictured) says: “A warm, safe home, free of damp and mould, should be a fundamental right, yet private renters are paying through the roof for increasingly decrepit housing which eats up their hard-earned cash and puts their health at risk.”

The new Labour government has pledged to introduce Awaab’s Law – forcing private landlords and agents to address damp and mould problems more quickly – as part of the new Renters’ Rights Bill. The 'law' is named after Awaab Ishaak (main image, inset) who died following respiratory complications brought on by a mouldy council home.

Protection

However, unaffordability and poor-quality housing in the private rental sector is made worse by tenants’ lack of protection and security, reports Citizens Advice, which is helping almost 100 people a day with Section 21 no-fault evictions.

“The government must follow through on its promises and improve the lives of private renters,” Dame Clare adds. “This means raising the quality of privately rented housing, tackling runaway rents, and bringing in a watertight ban of Section 21 evictions so renters aren’t afraid to challenge poor conditions.”

The charity also wants the government to match Local Housing Allowance to the cheapest 30% of rents in an area and require landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties by bringing them up to a minimum of EPC C.