For a private rented tenants movement

The beginnings of the tenants movement was in opposition to slum housing, owned by private landlords, and the fight for better housing conditions. The tenants movement needs to return to these roots in private housing, to once more become a powerful force for progressive social change.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the numbers of people in the Private Rented Sector (PRS). The right to buy has in many areas led to a large increase in private rented housing, and as a result of the recession, greater numbers of people are now unable to buy a home due to lack of income or credit. Nationwide, the larger private landlords are buying up homes that people can no longer afford and are cashing in on the increased demand.

Stock transfer, and the right to buy have severely weakened the tenants movement as an influential force in politics. The tenants movement is an ageing population, and does not represent many people outside of social housing, such as those in the private rented sector. Private tenants not only need the support of the tenants movement more, due to a greater level of exploitation and insecurity, but they are also potentially the solution to the demographic problems that are facing the tenants movement.

In recent decades, the tenants movement has been facing similar challenge to the trade unions. The unions are struggling in the private sector, where there are lots of migrants and younger people with insecure contracts, while the majority of their strength is in the public sector. Similarly, people in the PRS have far more insecure tenancies are less well organised than people with secure ones, such as council tenants.

Since the demographic of the PRS is largely younger people and migrants, if the tenants movement was to organise and campaign around issues confronting these tenants, this would provide an opportunity to rebuild and develop a younger generation activists. Something which the tenants movement sorely needs.

To bring this about, Tenants and Residents Associations, and their federations, need to make a special effort to connect with the issues that affect private tenants such as criminal landlords, illegal charges, repairs, stolen deposits, and insecure tenancies. Some tenants federations have begun to do this. For example, a new group has been started called Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group, which is supported by the Edinburgh Tenants Federation, and the Scottish Tenants Organisation.

EPTAG aims to organise private tenants around the issues that affect them, such as campaigning for the de-registration of criminal landlords, against letting agency fees, and more generally for greater rights for private tenants, and for increased security of tenure.  One of the aims of this group is to engage with, and re-vitalise the wider tenants movement, so that it is once more an influential force for progressive social change.

It is too soon to say whether this group will meet the challenges of the private rented sector, and fulfil its aim of rebuilding the tenants movement. But some things are clear. There has been a recent trends towards growth in the PRS following the right to buy and the recession, a housing sector rife with insecurity and exploitation that is largely not organised by the tenants movement. Also, the demographic decline of the tenants movement could be countered by organising these, generally much younger, private tenants. It therefore seems certain that returning to the private rented roots of the tenants movement will be an essential part of any strategy for its revitalisation.