My landlord increased my rent by 60%

Rising rental costs are leaving vulnerable tenants like 64-year-old Esther Planas struggling to survive.

Esther has made her home in Hackney, east London, for over two decades, having moved here from Barcelona, ​​Spain, in 1998 to be with her then-partner.

For most of her adult life, the artist survived on little more than a disability pension and was dependent on government support due to ongoing mental health problems.

But recently her situation has become even more frightening as the relentless rise in rent prices in the UK forced her to leave her home and move into social housing as part of a homelessness prevention program.

In conversation with The i-PaperShe said: “It was a nightmare. I never thought I would end up relying on the government to survive, let alone face these rent increases year after year. It was devastating to my mental health.”

Esther’s story is not unique, with a survey by YouGov for the charity Shelter showing that almost two thirds of workers living in private rented accommodation struggle to pay their rent.

Only 32 percent of workers said they were easily able to make their rent payments, with 40 percent having trouble sometimes and 23 percent having problems all the time.

A further 3 per cent of workers said they were behind on their payments, consistent with recent government figures showing 5 per cent are or were in arrears.

Since 2007, Esther has found it difficult to rent a small studio apartment in Hackney in the UK for £850 a month, rising to £1,350 by 2014 – a 60 per cent increase.

She said: “I was completely shocked. I wasn’t prepared for such an increase, especially since I was barely making ends meet anyway. I didn’t know anything about my rights at the time and ended up leaving the apartment.”

She soon found another studio nearby for £1,125 a month, hoping it would be more stable.

She added: “The landlord gave me the impression that I could stay in this apartment for a long time, but barely two years after I moved in I was served with a Section 21 eviction notice because they wanted to demolish the building to build luxury.” Apartments that I definitely couldn’t afford.

“Again, I was unaware of my rights, I was completely devastated and my mental health and anxiety were affected.

“Then some friends moved out of their studio and I was able to get there after desperately searching for a place.

“I moved in in January 2017, but my rent was drastically increased by the landlord until 2022.

“When I told him I couldn’t afford the new amount I was served with another Section 21.

“It was devastating. I had no choice but to contact the charity Shelter and they told me to apply for homelessness support from Hackney Council.”

Esther said the rent increase made her feel “incredibly vulnerable” and like a “parasite” for asking for help.

When she was at her lowest point and struggling to make monthly payments to her landlord, she said she had to ask friends and family for money, adding: “I still owe them money.”

Now Esther lives in Haggerston, east London, and pays £1,396 a month but receives financial support from the council.

Timeline of Esther’s rental experience

2014 – Your rent rose from £850 to £1,350
2015 – Served with a section 21 eviction notice due to the redevelopment of her block of flats
2022 – Her rent rose from £1,175 to £1,620, meeting another Section 21 when she told her landlord she couldn’t afford the increase
2024 – Living in public housing after seeking help with homelessness

She said she was “grateful” for the support she had received but described the UK rental market as “toxic” and “cruel”.

Esther added: “It is very damaging and the relentless rent increases have definitely contributed to the number of homeless people in the country.

“It is criminal and violates our human rights.” Housing should be accessible to everyone.”

This comes as part of a concerted effort by businesses, unions and charities to persuade UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to allocate billions of pounds to social housing in next year’s spending review.

They argue that building more affordable rental housing would help ease demand pressures in the private sector that experts say is driving up prices.

More than 20 chief executives, directors and charity bosses have signed a letter to Reeves calling on them to spend enough money to build 90,000 new social rented homes each year during the parliamentary term, which will cost up to £11.5 billion .

The letter said: “Worryingly, YouGov polling for Shelter shows that two thirds of working private renters, representing 4,450,000 people, are falling behind or struggling to pay their rent, showing that the housing crisis, that the government has taken over will only get worse.”

“As we move into 2025, we must make serious efforts to end the housing crisis that is holding back our country and our economy.”