What do tenants want from the general election?

Nicole Healing was evicted after being served a Section 21 notice

The south-east of England has some of the country's highest property prices outside London, making it especially tough for those on lower incomes looking for a place to live.

So what would tenants like to see from a new government after the general election?

Nicole Healing, 43, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, has just moved out of a flat in Hove, East Sussex, after eight-and-a-half years.

A no-fault Section 21 eviction notice was served on Nicole because the landlord was selling the property.

'Your rental history is disregarded'

Nicole is autistic, on benefits and has struggled to find a property.

“People don’t necessarily see you as an attractive prospect. Your rental history is completely disregarded. There’s a stigma," they said.

"Brighton and Hove is an incredibly saturated rental market. We have incredibly high rents."

Nicole wants to see a ban on Section 21 evictions, rent controls and secure three or five-year tenancies as a standard.

“We need stable and secure housing, we need more housing, we need a landlord’s register," they added.

'Cheap, good accommodation for students'

The Renters (Reform) Bill, which would ban landlords from evicting tenants without a reason, expired with the shut down of parliament for the election.

Labour, The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party said they would ban no-fault evictions, and build hundreds of thousands of new homes.

The Conservatives and Reform UK have been approached for comment.

Dipanjana Dey Dasgupta, 38, said her dream came true when she won a year-long scholarship at the University of Sussex.

She and her six-year-old son arrived from India and are now living in Eastbourne because the cost of accommodation in Brighton, where the campus is based, is unaffordable for her.

She said the 20-mile distance between her home and university was affecting her studies and she had missed many seminars - so she would like cheap, good accommodation for students near the university.

Dipanjana Dey Dasgupta said she cannot afford to rent near her university

A recent study by Canopy, which provides services for tenants and landlords, suggests that people in areas including Eastbourne, Brighton, Canterbury and Gillingham are spending a higher percentage of their salaries on rent than renters in London.

Charlie Bainbridge, an estate agent in Canterbury, said high interest rates and unfavourable tax policies have resulted in fewer rental properties.

He said: “We’ve seen a lot of private landlord properties being sold because of the lack of financial gain there is in running them as letting investments.

“That has a real impact on the availability and the supply and demand for tenants who are just trying to find sensible homes.”

'Support in favour of landlords'

Alistair Baldwin, who has 13 rental properties in Thanet, said most of the landlords he speaks to in his area would sell their investments if no-fault evictions were abolished.

Instead, he wants to be able to offset mortgage interest against his income tax.

He said : “I would like to see some support in favour of landlords to make my portfolio go back as an investment rather than a liability."

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