Information on council and affordable housing and renting in London

While many landlords provide a good service, almost a quarter of private rented homes still do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. Households are also struggling with the cost of renting because of unsustainable rent increases, which have been compounded by the cost-of-living crisis.

The Mayor doesn't have any powers over private renting but is doing everything within his powers to improve the quality, security and affordability of private rented sector homes for Londoners. Among other measures, the Mayor has:  

• Launched a Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker that has been viewed more than 350,000 times and a Report a Rogue tool to help renters report bad landlords and letting agents  
• Worked with Generation Rent and Safer Renting, alongside the Metropolitan Police, to update guidance and ensure frontline officers are best equipped to prevent an illegal eviction and support renters to remain in their home. 
• Made representations to central government to ensure that the Renters Rights Bill genuinely strikes a fairer balance between landlord and tenant, by introducing protections to enhance security – including removing ‘no fault’ section 21 evictions, introducing open-ended tenancies and longer notice periods, and increasing protections for renters against living in homes in poor conditions and being evicted illegally, which will require local council enforcement teams to be properly resourced.  
• Joined others in successfully lobbying government to uplift the Local Housing Allowance to 30th percentile of market rents.

Increasing the availability of affordable homes will also help to tackle the London’s housing shortage, which is the root cause of rising rents. The Mayor has secured £4billion from government to deliver affordable homes in London under the AHP 2021-26. This includes a type of affordable housing for people struggling in the private rented sector: London Living Rent.  

The Mayor knows that the cost-of-living crisis, alongside increasingly unaffordable private rents in London, is placing enormous pressure on the finances of renters. The all too real consequence of this situation is that more renters are at risk of being evicted from their homes, as well as finding it increasingly difficult to find a new and decent home that they can afford. 

In April 2022, the Mayor launched his online Cost of Living Hub for Londoners facing financial hardship due to the rising cost of living. The hub helps Londoners access information, support and advice about claiming benefits, dealing with debt, financial management and mental health support.  

The hub is part of the Mayor’s wider work on mitigating the effects of the cost of living crisis through linking Londoners with advice and support. It has been widely promoted to ensure that Londoners from communities more likely to struggle with rising costs are aware of it.   

The Mayor has consistently campaigned for both a rent freeze to alleviate the pressures caused by the Covid pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis, and to be given the power to take action on rents in London. He will be working closely with the new Labour government to ensure that the Renters Rights Bill delivers for Londoners. This includes scrapping section 21, ‘no fault’ evictions and introducing protections to prevent excessive rent hikes. 

The Mayor continues to campaign for welfare benefits to better support Londoners with their housing costs as rents continue to escalate, and this includes the scrapping the punitive Benefit Cap.  

• Renters who are falling behind on payments should urgently seek help from the Cost of Living hub to make sure they understand their tenancy rights and the financial support they might be entitled to. They should also contact their local council for help. Your landlord cannot evict you for missing one rent payment, and they cannot evict you without a court order – you do not need to leave your home unless you are given one. 
• Your landlord can only increase the rent if there is a rent review clause in your tenancy agreement, or they provide a valid Section 13 notice. This legal notice can only be issued once a year. If the proposed rent increase is unreasonable, you can challenge it through a Tribunal. Read more about rent increases and tribunals here.  
• Unfortunately, we know that the safety net for private renters is inadequate, because the government has failed to keep welfare benefits to help with housing costs in line with rapidly escalating rents. In April 2024, the government realigned Local Housing Allowance with the 30th percentile of market rents, providing much-needed assistance for renters. However, the Benefit Cap is still in place and the Mayor continues to campaign for it to be scrapped.
• Shelter provides support and advice on how to deal with rent arrears. Visit www.shelter.org.uk/get_help or call their free advice helpline on 0808 800 4444. Citizens Advice also advise on what to do if you're struggling to pay your bills. Visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call their free advice helpline on 0808 223 1133. 

• You should report issues such as harassment and disrepair to your local council’s private housing enforcement team – the Mayor has made this quick and easy by creating a report-a-rogue tool, which will send your complaint to the correct person at your local council.   
• If your situation is urgent, and your landlord is threatening you with eviction, or you feel unsafe in your home, you should call the police on 101, or 999 if you are in serious immediate danger. Expert advice organisations like Shelter on 0808 800 4444 also provide free legal advice to private renters who are struggling with issues like disrepair and threats of eviction. Citizens Advice can also help with a wide range of housing issues and their free advice helpline is 0808 223 1133.

• Your landlord must follow the correct legal processes to evict you. This includes obtaining a court order, followed by a bailiff warrant. You are under no obligation to leave your property earlier if you have been unable to secure new rental accommodation. 

• Local councils are responsible for assisting those who do not have suitable accommodation. If you are facing homelessness, or continue to live in unsuitable and unsafe accommodation, please contact your local council’s homelessness team.