Only 48% of London’s private renters had reported feeling safe in their homes. 

Less than half of London’s private renters believe their home has made them feel safe during the pandemic, a report by housing and homelessness charity Shelter has found. The report, which took data from independent analytics firm YouGov, found that only 48% of London’s private renters had reported feeling safe in their homes. Moreover, 31% of respondents admitted that their living situation had made lockdown harder to cope with, while 35% claimed to be experiencing poor living conditions involving electrical hazards, pests or damp-related issues. Polly Neate, the chief executive of Shelter, said: “After decades of decline, a dire lack of social homes means too many people, pay too much for cramped and poor-quality housing.

“With the stakes so high, the case for building decent social homes is clear.” Shelter described the current provision of social homes as ‘woefully inadequate’ and have called for a £12.2bn investment in social housing, which they claim could kickstart the post Covid recovery and reverse years of decline in social housebuilding. The investment would see 50,000 new social homes built over a two-year period, which is nearly four times the current national output. Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director at London property solutions provider Ringley, said: “The UK has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, especially in the private rented sector, where the majority of homes are converted flats rather than purpose-built, so it comes as no surprise that three million renters report to be living in poor conditions.

“Fundamentally, this research is a damning indictment of our collective failure to build enough new homes of all types and tenures over the past few decades.” Bowring also stressed that the public should not demonise landlords. She added: “Many landlords have worked closely with their tenants during the pandemic.” Shelter has urged constituents to contact MP’s with their concerns.