Comment: ‘renters should vote if they want to force politicians to reform renting’

To get reform pushed through renters need to be taken seriously, which means political parties need to feel they have something to lose by not courting them
A polling station sign is seen ahead of local authority elections, in London
REUTERS

Why aren’t politians furiously courting private renters in the long run up to the next General Election?

Renting is the fastest-growing tenure in the UK and makes up almost a third of London households. And it’s a consistently embattled demographic.

Witness the howls of outrage when headlines warn that mortgage borrowers might soon be spending a third of their income on payments.

“A third!?!?” tenants spit, rightly noting that nobody offered to help them as they paid half of their take home pay on rent for the past decade or more.

So they are primed to give their votes to any party promising them a release from private rental hell, either by improving conditions in the sector, or by making it easier to escape.

And yet, aside from the baby steps in the Renters Reform Bill, there’s little to tempt today’s renters to any of the main parties. Why?

Partly because winning votes tends to be about harnessing people’s aspirations and private renting can hardly be described as aspirational in the UK.

Partly it’s self-interest – MP’s are disproportionately likely to be private landlords (more than 13 per cent of the Commons compared to four per cent of the general population), while lobbying and donations also flow from that side of the divide.

Also, though, it’s because private renters are less likely to vote. Electoral Commission figures show just 63 per cent of renters are registered to vote, compared to 94 per cent of homeowners.

A peripatetic lifestyle makes repeatedly registering your current address seem especially pointless when your concerns are all but ignored. New Voter ID requirements won’t help here.

Opting out won’t make politicians sit up and take notice, however.

If you are a private tenant, make sure you are on the electoral register. If the party you vote for fails to deliver, punish them at the next election.

If we want true rental reform, it’s time to stand up and be counted.

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