New Renters Rights’ training gives mum of seven fresh hope in battle to get mouldy home repaired

A mum of seven who suffered a no-fault eviction from her London home had to uproot her family for a fresh start in Wolverhampton only to find herself stuck in a privately rented house riddled with damp.  

Leanne, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, has spoken out on the anguish and frustration she has endured because of an on-going battle with a property management agency to get her home fixed.  

Now, thanks to a Renters’ Rights Act training course set up by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, she has gained the knowledge and confidence to flex newfound rights as a tenant to help protect her home and family.  

And it has also resulted in her landlord stepping in personally to start work to tackle the damp and mould. 

Renters Rights Act: Watch housing tenant Leanne's story

The Mayor has pledged to use the new Act to improve the standard of the region’s 225,000 privately rented homes – a quarter of which fail to meet minimum standards of decency due to issues like excessive damp, mould and cold.   

And through his Renters’ Rights Campaign Fund, he has launched a programme of free training courses to raise awareness of the new laws within local communities.   

The Act, which brought in sweeping changes to the private rental sector in May this year, bans Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, fixed term tenancy contracts and rental bidding. It also limits rent increases for tenants.  

Leanne, who lives in a terraced house in Wolverhampton with two of her now grown-up children, attended one of the training sessions organised by Access to Business.  

Speaking before repair work on her home started, she said: “I had lived in London all my life but was forced out of my home by my landlord, despite having seven children.  

“The only place my local council could find for me to live was 120 miles away in Wolverhampton. It was very upsetting at the time and we had to leave our dogs behind at the Battersea Dogs Home.” 

Sobbing, Leanne went on: “How many times have we heard we're going to get help? How many times, when we've done our place up the landlords want to evict us.  

"As time went on after moving here, we started to see the true effects of mould coming through. It needs repairing and I’ve been fighting this for years.  

“I'm scared this house is going to collapse or blow up and I can't get out because the doors to the back yard don’t open. This is a health trap, a death trap. 

“My landlord is trying to help me out. He’s paying the management to do the work but the management isn’t doing the work and passing the buck on to the landlord. I'm paying my rent and I don't think it’s fair.” 

Leanne, who works part-time, added: “To learn about the new Renters’ Rights Act was brilliant. Finally, we have a voice, we’ve got the law with us now. We've got rights now and I don't feel scared anymore. 

“Before I was worried how making a complaint was going to affect me. I hope my voice can help others. We need to stand up and make our voices heard.” 

A total of 15 community groups and organisations across the region, including high profile names such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, have received microgrants of up to £2,500 from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to provide the free Renters’ Rights training sessions.  

The Mayor said: “No one should have to live in a damp, unhealthy property, and no one should have to live in fear of losing their home through no fault of their own.  

“I’m committed to using these new laws to give tenants more security and stability and to drive up the standard of privately rented accommodation across our region. I will also use the Renters Rights Act to crackdown on those rogue landlords who are blighting lives.  

"Everyone deserves a safe, decent home, and that starts with knowing your rights as a tenant. So, it’s great to see these free training courses giving people the confidence and knowledge to stand up for themselves and that they are making a real difference for tenants like Leanne."   

Local councils are legally responsible for overseeing the new laws and are being backed with stronger enforcement powers and support from the Mayor and WMCA.  

This includes tougher fines of up to £7,000, rising to £40,000 for repeated breaches of the rules or for serious offences. Tenants or local authorities are also able to seek rent repayment orders, forcing landlords to pay back rent for offences.  

In addition to the ban on no-fault evictions, which have left thousands of West Midland families at risk of homelessness over recent years, other measures include making it illegal for landlords to:  

• Increase rent prices more than once a year  

• Ask for more than one month’s rent payment in advance  

• Pit prospective tenants against one another through rental bidding wars  

• Discriminate against potential tenants because they receive benefits or have children    

Tenants are also able to appeal excessive above-market rent increases that try to force them out and landlords are required to consider requests to rent with a pet.  

Private renters can find out more about the new Renters’ Rights Act and how to get action taken at the WMCA website.