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SHOCK: Official survey reveals 19% of tenant deposits not protected

tenancy deposits

Nearly 200,000 private renters haven’t had their tenancy deposits protected under an authorised scheme, according to new government data.

Its latest English Housing Survey for 2022/23 shows that 77% of privately renting households paid a deposit when they started their current tenancy, 81% of whom had this protected under a scheme, while 6% (194,000) said it wasn’t protected and 13% (467,000) were unsure.

The annual survey reveals that 19% of all households rent privately (4.6 million), spending an average of four years at each property, and that 229,000 (5%) have been in arrears either currently or over the past year, while 1.2 million (29%) had found it difficult to pay their rent.

In 2022-23, most private renters (63%, 424,000 households) who had moved in the last 12 months decided to end their tenancy out of choice, or because the tenancy was for a fixed period (19%) or had ended by mutual agreement (10%). Only 9% were asked to leave by their landlord or agent.

Costs

Private renters had higher weekly housing costs than social renters or homeowners, on average spending 32% of their income on rent when housing support was included in household income, compared to 37% when it was excluded. Just under one in four (24%) private renters received housing support.

They were also more likely than any other tenure to have poor-quality housing; just over a fifth (21%) lived in a non-decent home, 12% had a home with Category 1 hazards and 10% lived in a home with damp. The government reports that on average, it would cost £9,234 to bring a non-decent home up to standard.

By 2022, less than half of private rented homes (45%) were in EPC bands A to C. Across all tenures, the cost of improving homes to a band C was under £10,000 for the majority; 45% would cost £5,000 to £9,999, 25% would cost £1,000 to £4,999, and 5% had an estimated cost of less than £1,000.

Ultimate guide to tenancy deposit protection legislation
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