20th
Feb 2025
PRS tenants now have access to a new platform which states: “it will be easier to hold criminal landlords to account.”
The ‘My Housing Issue’ Gateway, created by the TDS Charitable Foundation, has received strong support from the activist group Generation Rent.
The platform aims to guide tenants on where to submit complaints about their rented homes.
The foundation’s latest research reveals that 50% of private renters are unsure of where to seek assistance if their agent or landlord does not address an issue.
TDS reports that 48% of renters need more comprehensive information on how to file a complaint when necessary, and 69% indicated they would definitely use a dedicated website for this purpose.
A statement from the foundation says: “With the Renters’ Rights Bill creating new enforcement tools and standards in the private rented sector, this will add to the array of already complex enforcement mechanisms currently available which tenants are already struggling to navigate.
“The Gateway will help tenants identify the correct route to seek to resolve their problems, encourage the early resolution of disputes where possible, and provide relevant information about housing rights and options in an interactive and user-friendly format.
“It has been designed following extensive consultation with government officials, and groups representing tenants, landlords, letting agents and the legal advice sector.”
The deputy chief executive at Generation Rent, comments: “One of the biggest barriers to improving private rented homes is the sheer number of bodies that play a role in enforcing tenant protections, and the confusion this creates among renters themselves.
“As the government implements the reforms currently going through Parliament it is essential that private renters can access free, clear and useful resources and information.
“This new Gateway offers tenants an easy-to-use tool, tailored to their needs – empowering them to make their next moves informed and with confidence.”
The TDS Charitable Foundation is urging the government to incorporate the Gateway into the legally mandated ‘How to Rent’ guide that must be provided to all tenants.
A TDS Group spokesperson says: “Tenants are hungry for better, easy to access information to enforce their rights and hold criminal landlords to account. The Gateway will do just that, ensuring renters know where to go for the help they need, when they need it.
“Empowering tenants like this will be vital if the government’s ambitions of a better private rented sector are to become a reality.”
The platform apparently has the backing from a trade association, whose spokesperson says: “Any good landlord will tell you that communication is the key to sustaining a successful tenancy. Yet it’s too often the case that minor problems in rental properties can be allowed to worsen dramatically due to a communication breakdown between landlords and tenants.
“Tenants should have the confidence and the tools to be able to resolve issues in their rented accommodation, and we endorse the TDS Charitable Foundation’s move to make it easier for tenants to log problems in their rental property with their landlords.”
News Archive »