Assessing the information and training resource needs of tenants in the private rented sector

Commissioned by the TDS Charitable Foundation, Law for Life has produced a short report assessing the legal information and training resources available for tenants in the private rented sector.

Their initial findings indicate that:
• Information and training resources are needed which address the needs of the most vulnerable and least legally capable amongst tenants in the private rented sector;
• While there are many information resources available generally, they can be difficult to locate.

Law for Life has recommended:
• Producing targeted plain English resources focused on the self-management of problems;
• Consolidating the best information resources for private tenants in a specially designated website.

This need for resources occurs in a context in which only “ 40% of people claim to know their rights in relation to housing” and 47% of people would attribute legal issues in housing to ‘bad luck’ rather than recognising them as justiciable issues, while 73% of people with rented housing problems would not seek legal advice or support.

Commenting on the report, Tara Mulqueen of Law for Life said:

“We wanted to address some of the gaps in information and training available for private tenants and community organisations working in the private rented sector, but without reinventing the wheel or duplicating efforts. We think there is a need to make information and training resources easier to understand and more readily accessible. ”

The report can be review in full HERE.