MORE people are struggling in privately-rented homes which are damp, dangerous and in need of vital repairs, evidence from Citizens Advice has suggested.

The charity said that it helped 3,700 people with repair and maintenance problems in such homes between July and September this year, marking a 14per cent surge compared with the same period in 2013.

Difficulties getting repairs and maintenance carried out make up the most common problems with private rented homes reported to Citizens Advice. In the past 12 months, the charity said it has helped people with almost 17,000 of these issues.

In one case, a couple with two young children were living in a rented home which had severe damp problems, causing mould to cover the walls and the inside of cupboards. Their private landlord repeatedly refused to treat the damp, but after the family contacted environmental health officers he agreed to pay for some anti-mould paint. Shortly afterwards, the family was evicted, Citizens Advice said.

In its new Advice Trends report, Citizens Advice said that one in three private rented properties in England does not meet the Government's decent home minimum standard, yet those who are renting find it difficult to hold landlords to account, for fear of revenge evictions.

Between July to September 2013 and the same period this year, Citizens Advice said it helped with a seven per cent rise, nationally, in the number of issues around paying rent up front, as well as seven per cent more issues where people struggle to get their deposit back and a 15 per cent increase in the number of issues where people are harassed or illegally evicted by landlords.

Citizens Advice is urging stronger protections for people renting from private landlords, ahead of the Tenancies Reform Bill which will be debated in Parliament tomorrow. The charity said more retaliatory evictions will be prevented if the bill is enacted.

Housing is a devolved issue and the private members bill will apply to the private rented sector in England only.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: "It's hard to feel at home in the private rented sector. People can struggle to lead a normal life when their home is in a state of disrepair and they could be told to leave at any time. But many feel powerless to speak out.

"People face a huge number of different housing problems. But despite one in five now renting privately, the sector is subject to comparatively little regulation.

"Rogue landlords and letting agents are free to mistreat tenants and charge ever increasing rents. In other markets consumers have far more protection, such as the right to refunds or repairs, if the product or service the pay for is not up to scratch.

"Urgent action is needed to bring renters' rights up to a decent 21st century standard. Putting an end to retaliatory evictions is a good place to start."

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: "We're determined to build a bigger, better private rented sector, investing billions of pounds to build homes specifically for private rent and introducing measures to ensure tenants can be confident they will get a fair deal.

"Councils already have a range of powers to tackle rogue landlords and poor-quality privately rented homes in their area, backed by £6.7 million Government funding. But we have also issued a How to Rent guide so tenants know their rights and responsibilities, offered a model tenancy agreement so people can ask for longer tenancies if they choose to, and required letting agents to belong to one of three redress schemes so landlords and tenants have somewhere to go if they get a raw deal.

"On top of this we're backing a Bill going through Parliament that will outlaw retaliatory evictions and prevent landlords from evicting their tenants merely for asking for repairs to be made to their property."

Julie Cooper of Riddlesden, near Keighley, whose 19-year-old son is in his second year at university in London, called for stronger protections for students renting properties too. "Students are particularly vulnerable because for many of them, going to university and living in rented accommodation is their first time away from home. They have no experience of renting and all the issues that come with that."

She added: "In his first year my son was in halls of residence, owned and managed by the university, but this year he has moved into a rented flat, owned by a private landlord, and he and his house-mates are having problems with issues like damp and getting repairs carried out. They're now in dispute with their landlord over repairs and maintenance, which is having an impact on their studies and general quality of life. As students, they don't expect to live in luxury but there are basic standards that aren't being maintained, and are not their responsibility.

"I welcome anything which highlights the problems associated with privately-rented homes, and I hope the Government takes action on tightening measures within the rented sector."

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