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Tenants: The People on the Frontline of Britain's Housing Emergency
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022, METRO, EVENING STANDARD, REFINERY29, COSMOPOLITAN'Tenants should be compulsory reading for every politician' - Pandora Sykes'Important heartbreaking and shocking ... it forces you to step back, look at the whole wretched system and "Why do we put up with this?" Whether you are a tenant or a landlord, or indeed a government minister, this is a vital read.' The Times'A major new book on the history and politics of renting' Evening StandardA WATERSTONES BEST POLITICS BOOK OF 2022A TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF 2022Tony is facing eviction instead of enjoying retirement; Limarra isn't 'homeless enough' to get help from the council; and for Kelly and her asthmatic son Morgan, another new rented house is a matter of life and death. This is twenty-first century Britain, where millions are trying to build lives in privately rented accommodation, which creates profit for landlords but not safe and stable homes for tenants.This fierce and moving account tells their stories, and the story of how we built a housing system where homelessness is a constant threat. Award-winning housing journalist Vicky Spratt traces decades of bad decisions to show how and why the British dream of homeownership has withered and the safety net of social housing has unravelled. She has spent years talking with those on the frontline all around the country. Here, she illuminates the ways this national emergency cuts across generations, class and education and is devastating our health, destroying communities and transforming the social, economic and political landscape beyond recognition.But it is not irreversible. The Covid-19 pandemic showed that radical action is possible, and there are real steps we can take to give everyone the chance of a good home. This urgent, ground breaking book leads the way.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published May 19, 2022
83 people are currently reading
1881 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
January 10, 2023
We live in hell 😌
June 29, 2023
An absolutely harrowing recount of the current housing system in the UK. As someone who privately rents, this hit close to the bone. Spratt had done an amazing job compiling a strong and detailed description of where housing has gone wrong and the devastating impacts. Highly recommend everyone reads this book.
January 27, 2023
Totally
April 11, 2024
There is a lot to like about this book and it tells stories that need to be told, and mostly very well. Hearing the voices of tenants is very important. I worked in social housing for two decades or so, including several years as a housing advice worker. I heard these sorts of stories day after day, and eventually had to change jobs because there was so little positive that we could do. The dice are loaded.
Vicky Spratt makes this very clear in her book, but her argument is undermined by occasional but dire errors and outright misleading statements. There are some howlingly bad errors of expression too e.g. tenants could enforce their rights if only they would "deign to complain" (p.136)
I dislike how the factual content is cited: footnotes work because you can check them there and then, if you want to. Or ignore. Having to flick between the references and the page to see if a factoid is cited is laborious and very likely means many errors are covered up.
One that struck me especially was the claim on page 114 that "almost a quarter (24 percent) of the homeless population in the UK are LGBTQ+-identifying". What: even the street drinkers staying at Simon? All the residents at one of the old spikes? (I worked in one of these myself.) Because I knew absolutely that this was not even vaguely plausible I ploughed through the notes, found the reference, checked the online version of the report and... the _very first_ sentence of the Foreword to the report makes this claim, but clearly only with reference to their target clients. Who are LGBTQ+ young people. So it is not a representative sample and the stat cited doesn't seem to be backed up with a reference in the primary source either. We just have to accept it.
It looks a little as though someone might have flicked through the PDF, found a juicy quote on the very first page, and chucked that in to buttress the References list.
What I'd like to see is a revised edition, properly proofread and edited, updating some of the stories and adding some new ones to include events since 2020 and not so fixated on Covid and ticking those EDI boxes ho hum. Including some photographs and other graphics instead of all the chunky and barely readable percentage this, percentage that, twenty-line paragraphs and fifty word sentences would help the readability enormously. And provide proper footnotes with little subscripted numbers please so that the swots can consult primary sources and fact-check in a less agonising way.
I will post a link to my longer (2000 words+) review once it is online. Meantime:
I admire Vicky's commitment, am somewhat dismissive of her research skills, dislike her way of repeating herself so much as though to hammer home the point, feel that she needs a decent editor, but despite all my reservations recommend her book if you recognise that housing is a big issue, but aren't quite sure why this came to be. 3.5/5 but rounded down.
https://sm-i-le.dreamwidth.org/704.html
Vicky Spratt makes this very clear in her book, but her argument is undermined by occasional but dire errors and outright misleading statements. There are some howlingly bad errors of expression too e.g. tenants could enforce their rights if only they would "deign to complain" (p.136)
I dislike how the factual content is cited: footnotes work because you can check them there and then, if you want to. Or ignore. Having to flick between the references and the page to see if a factoid is cited is laborious and very likely means many errors are covered up.
One that struck me especially was the claim on page 114 that "almost a quarter (24 percent) of the homeless population in the UK are LGBTQ+-identifying". What: even the street drinkers staying at Simon? All the residents at one of the old spikes? (I worked in one of these myself.) Because I knew absolutely that this was not even vaguely plausible I ploughed through the notes, found the reference, checked the online version of the report and... the _very first_ sentence of the Foreword to the report makes this claim, but clearly only with reference to their target clients. Who are LGBTQ+ young people. So it is not a representative sample and the stat cited doesn't seem to be backed up with a reference in the primary source either. We just have to accept it.
It looks a little as though someone might have flicked through the PDF, found a juicy quote on the very first page, and chucked that in to buttress the References list.
What I'd like to see is a revised edition, properly proofread and edited, updating some of the stories and adding some new ones to include events since 2020 and not so fixated on Covid and ticking those EDI boxes ho hum. Including some photographs and other graphics instead of all the chunky and barely readable percentage this, percentage that, twenty-line paragraphs and fifty word sentences would help the readability enormously. And provide proper footnotes with little subscripted numbers please so that the swots can consult primary sources and fact-check in a less agonising way.
I will post a link to my longer (2000 words+) review once it is online. Meantime:
I admire Vicky's commitment, am somewhat dismissive of her research skills, dislike her way of repeating herself so much as though to hammer home the point, feel that she needs a decent editor, but despite all my reservations recommend her book if you recognise that housing is a big issue, but aren't quite sure why this came to be. 3.5/5 but rounded down.
https://sm-i-le.dreamwidth.org/704.html
February 21, 2024
‘Tenants’ brings together the seemingly disparate experiences of private renters across Britain, painting a brutal picture of the engineering of the housing crisis and how the machinations of Westminster have far reaching implications on our everyday lives.
What’s disappointing is that the hope many of us had that the pandemic offered opportunities to radically change the world, which Vicky frequently mentions, has all too quickly vanished. Just under two years have passed since the book was published and the references to pandemic-era policy change feel completely foreign, and the status quo has swiftly returned. Vital reading for anyone who thinks the state of housing in this country is natural and immutable.
What’s disappointing is that the hope many of us had that the pandemic offered opportunities to radically change the world, which Vicky frequently mentions, has all too quickly vanished. Just under two years have passed since the book was published and the references to pandemic-era policy change feel completely foreign, and the status quo has swiftly returned. Vital reading for anyone who thinks the state of housing in this country is natural and immutable.
June 11, 2024
Пазарът на имоти и наемане тук е може би най-отвратителното нещо в тази страна. В книгата информацията е основно за Англия, а Шотландия е давана като позитивен пример на места, което откровено ме натъжи. Шотландия определено по отношение на наемането е по-добре от Англия, но не променя фактът колко зле е състоянието тук също, особено визирайки, че в Шотландия плащаш много по-големи данъци отколкото надолу. Очакваш да е къде-къде по-добре като те обират толкова много. :/
Живеейки под наем в Шотландия, темата за домове ми е много присърце, тъй като ме побърква постоянното покачване на цените. Много мразя да ми бъркат в джоба и то за нищо насреща. Книгата минава през историята на housing в UK и авторката споделя истории на различните категории наематели (в широкия смисъл на думата), които се срещат. Говори също така и за лъжите, които се въртят в медиите и които не позволяват да се тръгне в посока промяна (примерно, че чужденците са виновни за високите цени на имоти). Накрая завърши с идеи как може да се подобри ситуацията.
Съгласна съм с нея от къде идва проблемът с безумните цени на имотите и на наемите, но не мисля, че нещата могат да се променят, просто защото на хората тук им харесва домовете им да растат финансово нагоре. И да бъдем искрени, дори някои от "радикалните" идеи да бъдат въведени, то няма да е за сметка на 1% богаташи и техните приятелчета от правителството, а пак на гърба на малка група хора, които искарват една идея повече пари от средното за страната.
Депресираща книга, особено ако го изживяваш това. Недостатъкът на книгата е, че се фокусира доста сериозно върху социалното наемане, което аз лично като слушам случаи от там и леко се напрягам, защото не са видели тези хора какво се нарича бедност и нищета, та си признавам, че ми е трудно да съчувствам. Но, съм съгласна с нея, че домът трябва да бъде приемам като базова нужда, а не стока за инвестиране. Както и ако се обърне внимание върху проблемът със социалните домове, то това ще се отрази позитивно и на обикновените наемащи от частния сектор. Уви, това няма да стане, тъй като книгата е от 2022 и все още промените, които от преди 2022 се говорят да бъдат гласувани и въведени все така и през 2024 са само прах в очите на слепите. Не само надолу в Англия, но и тук в Шотландия.
Живеейки под наем в Шотландия, темата за домове ми е много присърце, тъй като ме побърква постоянното покачване на цените. Много мразя да ми бъркат в джоба и то за нищо насреща. Книгата минава през историята на housing в UK и авторката споделя истории на различните категории наематели (в широкия смисъл на думата), които се срещат. Говори също така и за лъжите, които се въртят в медиите и които не позволяват да се тръгне в посока промяна (примерно, че чужденците са виновни за високите цени на имоти). Накрая завърши с идеи как може да се подобри ситуацията.
Съгласна съм с нея от къде идва проблемът с безумните цени на имотите и на наемите, но не мисля, че нещата могат да се променят, просто защото на хората тук им харесва домовете им да растат финансово нагоре. И да бъдем искрени, дори някои от "радикалните" идеи да бъдат въведени, то няма да е за сметка на 1% богаташи и техните приятелчета от правителството, а пак на гърба на малка група хора, които искарват една идея повече пари от средното за страната.
Депресираща книга, особено ако го изживяваш това. Недостатъкът на книгата е, че се фокусира доста сериозно върху социалното наемане, което аз лично като слушам случаи от там и леко се напрягам, защото не са видели тези хора какво се нарича бедност и нищета, та си признавам, че ми е трудно да съчувствам. Но, съм съгласна с нея, че домът трябва да бъде приемам като базова нужда, а не стока за инвестиране. Както и ако се обърне внимание върху проблемът със социалните домове, то това ще се отрази позитивно и на обикновените наемащи от частния сектор. Уви, това няма да стане, тъй като книгата е от 2022 и все още промените, които от преди 2022 се говорят да бъдат гласувани и въведени все така и през 2024 са само прах в очите на слепите. Не само надолу в Англия, но и тук в Шотландия.
September 1, 2025
This book was just brilliant! Such a good review of everything that the state has done to get us to where we are now re housing. Even though it makes me very resentful to the situation we are currently in, Spratt outlines some ideas as to how we (by we I mean the government) could start to push for change, which brings me some hope.
It also stands out from the way Spratt has structured it, using interviews to illustrate each overarching chapter theme - so really accessible for anyone unfamiliar on the topic.
Who knew a non-fic would draw me out my reading slump, it’s made me really passionate about housing reform (thanks Hannah for the rec!) - I urge every pessimistic 20-something who wants to have settled accommodation to call home, to read this.
It also stands out from the way Spratt has structured it, using interviews to illustrate each overarching chapter theme - so really accessible for anyone unfamiliar on the topic.
Who knew a non-fic would draw me out my reading slump, it’s made me really passionate about housing reform (thanks Hannah for the rec!) - I urge every pessimistic 20-something who wants to have settled accommodation to call home, to read this.
April 20, 2024
Fuck the housing crisis.
May 23, 2022
This is a really solid analysis of what went so wrong with Britains housing policy. Spratt manages to link economic data and theory with the real stories of people who have been left in vulnerable housing situations with little recourse.
It’s also fascinating the point at which local authorities are complicit in providing substandard accommodation and how unfeeling officials can have detrimental effects to peoples lives.
I would have liked a little more analysis in the solutions to these problems, which she tackles in part three - but I can see why this could very well be it’s own book.
It’s also fascinating the point at which local authorities are complicit in providing substandard accommodation and how unfeeling officials can have detrimental effects to peoples lives.
I would have liked a little more analysis in the solutions to these problems, which she tackles in part three - but I can see why this could very well be it’s own book.
September 4, 2025
Wonderful commentary and exploration on the dire state of affairs that face tenants in the ongoing housing crisis. This book unpicks the lived experiences of tenants across England, and presents a tragic history of housing policy and the conditions that have resulted. It has certainly re-affirmed my disgust of the Thatcher government.
Well-framed, with each chapter focused around particular individuals to properly examine the issues at hand. Each chapter starting with the house prices and rent for that particular region provided incredible context.
Sadly, being published immediately post-COVID, it was a tad too optimistic as to the impetus for change that the pandemic would prompt. Whilst in the short term there may have been more positive views on benefits, immigration and economic stimulus, the pendulum has clearly and unfortunately swung back the other way further and much harder in ways that Spratt did not foresee. But, fair enough. It felt at the time that COVID may have been a sea change for progressive action, but in many ways it has entrenched the problems plaguing society, not limited just to the lives of tenants.
I found the policy aspect very informative and in most ways, constructive. Scaling back programs that have inflated house prices, whilst better protecting the rights of tenants is assuredly the way to go, with other quirky plans like the Land Value Tax being important discussions that need to be had about how to go about improving lives and reducing inequality. I am not too sure about Spratt's desire for rent control, which, despite there being ample evidence that it can in many ways make problems worse, she does not discuss these strong and widespread objections in any detail. I am more sympathetic to the ideas she presents of Housing First as a key focus of policy in this area.
Otherwise, a great survey of what it is like to be a tenant and how things can change.
Well-framed, with each chapter focused around particular individuals to properly examine the issues at hand. Each chapter starting with the house prices and rent for that particular region provided incredible context.
Sadly, being published immediately post-COVID, it was a tad too optimistic as to the impetus for change that the pandemic would prompt. Whilst in the short term there may have been more positive views on benefits, immigration and economic stimulus, the pendulum has clearly and unfortunately swung back the other way further and much harder in ways that Spratt did not foresee. But, fair enough. It felt at the time that COVID may have been a sea change for progressive action, but in many ways it has entrenched the problems plaguing society, not limited just to the lives of tenants.
I found the policy aspect very informative and in most ways, constructive. Scaling back programs that have inflated house prices, whilst better protecting the rights of tenants is assuredly the way to go, with other quirky plans like the Land Value Tax being important discussions that need to be had about how to go about improving lives and reducing inequality. I am not too sure about Spratt's desire for rent control, which, despite there being ample evidence that it can in many ways make problems worse, she does not discuss these strong and widespread objections in any detail. I am more sympathetic to the ideas she presents of Housing First as a key focus of policy in this area.
Otherwise, a great survey of what it is like to be a tenant and how things can change.
July 31, 2023
TW: death, child death, homelessness, classism
What a book! This is an incredible read that taught me so much not only about the housing crisis, but the policies and attitudes from the 20th century that brought us here. At once shocking, disturbing and downright upsetting, this book also holds out hope for the future, thanks to the many charities and organisations doing amazing work to support people who continue to be let down by the system time and time again.
The real eye-opener here was learning about hidden homelessness and the extent at which landlords exercise their power. I have always believed shelter - and therefore having a home to call your own - is a human right. The fact that many, many people in this country do not have access to stable living conditions is a disgusting indictment to the way we treat working class people and those who fall on hard times. Everyone deserves a place to call home where they can live, rather than just survive. What landlords get away with here puts peoples' lives at risk, from poor housing conditions to no-fault evictions. We need policy reform, we need social housing, we need real change. None of that will happen under a Tory government, when one in five Conservative MPs are landlords themselves.
Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand why most of us can't afford to buy a house, why certain areas become more expensive to rent than others and how the government has got us to this point, because it is entirely, their fault.
What a book! This is an incredible read that taught me so much not only about the housing crisis, but the policies and attitudes from the 20th century that brought us here. At once shocking, disturbing and downright upsetting, this book also holds out hope for the future, thanks to the many charities and organisations doing amazing work to support people who continue to be let down by the system time and time again.
The real eye-opener here was learning about hidden homelessness and the extent at which landlords exercise their power. I have always believed shelter - and therefore having a home to call your own - is a human right. The fact that many, many people in this country do not have access to stable living conditions is a disgusting indictment to the way we treat working class people and those who fall on hard times. Everyone deserves a place to call home where they can live, rather than just survive. What landlords get away with here puts peoples' lives at risk, from poor housing conditions to no-fault evictions. We need policy reform, we need social housing, we need real change. None of that will happen under a Tory government, when one in five Conservative MPs are landlords themselves.
Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand why most of us can't afford to buy a house, why certain areas become more expensive to rent than others and how the government has got us to this point, because it is entirely, their fault.
March 13, 2025
I had to take a long break when reading this because it is very emotional. Absolutely brilliant, wish I wrote this
January 11, 2025
Harrowing stories of the people looking down the barrel of Britain’s housing emergency. This book does explain the flaws in housing and details how we’re essentially living among state sanctioned homelessness. It did feel repetitive in places though. More on the theory of how the housing emergency could be solved and its success elsewhere would have been interesting, this felt somewhat rushed towards the end of the book!
April 24, 2025
It’s all pretty damming and depressing really, but that was expected. Feel like I’ve got off lightly in life with my experiences of landlords, I wonder how many of them have read this book?
March 25, 2023
This book made me even angrier than I already was about our current housing crisis that the government continually denies. As a probation officer, lack of housing is the main issue that perpetuates reoffending. I am basically a housing officer and not a probation officer.
This is such a serious issue that needs to be tackled. We are all, ultimately, only one pay check away from homelessness unless you already own several homes.
Every single political should read this book and address the issues which the author sonclearly lays out for the reader. Very well written and draws on lots of differing experiences. Would reccomend!
This is such a serious issue that needs to be tackled. We are all, ultimately, only one pay check away from homelessness unless you already own several homes.
Every single political should read this book and address the issues which the author sonclearly lays out for the reader. Very well written and draws on lots of differing experiences. Would reccomend!
December 21, 2024
Super interesting, case study driven, housing is intersectional and would ease so many inequalities, why did marg have to come along and fuck it all up 😩 puts into context all the housing policies labour are focusing on at the moment.
“Home is where everything begins. It is where our personal relationships stem from. It is the base from which we engage with society, with our community. If we start to treat housing as what it is - essential infrastructure - and fix the housing crisis, we will find that other social and economic issues shift, too.”
“Home is where everything begins. It is where our personal relationships stem from. It is the base from which we engage with society, with our community. If we start to treat housing as what it is - essential infrastructure - and fix the housing crisis, we will find that other social and economic issues shift, too.”
October 20, 2024
A brilliant, passionate and thoroughly intelligent book. I really had not taken on board just how dire Britain's housing system has become - and not just for a few but for swathes of people in our communities. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realise it was this bad! She uses many 'case studies' - living examples of people whose housing is precarious and difficult - in order to illustrate the issues, and to bring alive the psychological dimension of the housing crisis. And she makes the case for a fundamentally different approach, centred on a massive social housing programme. A call to action!
November 16, 2024
Really interesting. Each chapter is headed up with the story of a real person, which Spratt uses to build her argument on why the government need to care about the housing crisis and do something about it, permanently. There were several parts which struck a chord - I’m sure I won’t be the only one that found familiarity. Well worth a read!
July 20, 2025
Meticulously researched, thoughtfully laid out and with so much groundwork put in and so many stories told, this is a brilliant narrative nonfiction that lays all the issues with housing in the UK bare and doesn't pull its punches, as well as proposing real solutions for intractable problems. An excellent book.
June 1, 2022
Learned a lot! So thorough!
February 16, 2024
If this book doesn’t make you furious, seriously, are you ok?? Tenants took me so long to read because it is harrowing af, but what I loved the most about it is how Vicky Spratt writes about the UK housing crisis with just as much anger as she does tenderness. She’s a bloody gem, and a voice we all need to hear more of.
August 10, 2024
'Britain isn't a meritocracy. It's an inheritocracy.'
Really amazing, well-researched book on the UK housing crisis. Recommended reading for everyone who lives in the UK and wants to understand just what a state we're in.
Really amazing, well-researched book on the UK housing crisis. Recommended reading for everyone who lives in the UK and wants to understand just what a state we're in.
Read
December 22, 2025lost momentum there but we made it
October 4, 2024
I hate living in the uk
February 6, 2025
Eye opening and anger inducing.
Fuck Thatcher.
Fuck Thatcher.
August 12, 2025
Vital and incredibly important reporting of the harrowing stories of people suffering through the housing crisis - people experiencing unimaginable harm as a direct result of a callous system. The book brilliantly reminds us that this is a choice - and one that many of us are complicit in, with wider society happy to ride on rising house prices and ignore its victims.
Let down by a very weak conclusion, which meandered through a lengthy, parody-of-progressivism discourse on a politics of love - which felt dated and undercut the urgency and vitality of the stories that the author shares so brilliantly in the rest of the book.
Let down by a very weak conclusion, which meandered through a lengthy, parody-of-progressivism discourse on a politics of love - which felt dated and undercut the urgency and vitality of the stories that the author shares so brilliantly in the rest of the book.
October 27, 2023
The writer Vicky Spratt is a Housing correspondent at i Newspaper.
This book could be regarded as 13 different reports on British Housing Crisis/Problem, which is a very important societal issue in the UK and worldwide.
However, this book makes me frustrated mainly for two reasons:
1. It is impossible not to feel bored when you have to read reports after reports that discuss the same topic, even though the people/interviewees offered different stories.
2. Adequate housing is a human right. It is such a shame that the UK government does not care about its people's lives at all.
This book could be regarded as 13 different reports on British Housing Crisis/Problem, which is a very important societal issue in the UK and worldwide.
However, this book makes me frustrated mainly for two reasons:
1. It is impossible not to feel bored when you have to read reports after reports that discuss the same topic, even though the people/interviewees offered different stories.
2. Adequate housing is a human right. It is such a shame that the UK government does not care about its people's lives at all.
January 27, 2024
“The Women’s Budget Group referenced Woolf in the title of its 2019 report, ‘A Home of Her Own: Housing and Women’. Which concluded hat there was nowhere - not a single place - in the United Kingdom where housing was affordable for a single woman on an average income. There are concrete reasons why we still live in a patriarchy”.
When I started Tenants, this was my first time reading anything produced by Vicky Spratt, and my only regret is that it took me this long to discover someone as thorough in their research and eloquent in their delivery of such a relevant and pressing issue. With a rare, UK-centric focus, Spratt breaks down an extremely complex housing policy environment, whilst not shying away from asking for accountability from relevant figures, as she asks “in recent years, these tunnels had become refuge for a number of street homeless people. How many politicians and Westminster staffers looked up from their phones and really saw them as they made their way into work?"
It’s difficult to pinpoint which part of the book had the strongest impact, as so much of it was new information for me. Admittedly, the housing crisis wasn’t a surprise, but the foundations that have led to it, combined with the current laws that no one is actively repealing (looking at you Section 21 no fault evictions) caught me by surprise and added a new level of appreciation for housing charities who fight what to many, may seem like a losing battle.
The book is well divided into separate case studies of individuals from different sections around the country, helping to provide a deeper understanding than that which is typically focused on - London. The reality though was bleak, given that all over the country, despite differing demands, salaries and expectations, “private tenants who complain to landlords about issues in their home have a 46 per cent chance of being evicted within six months.”
As a young professional working in London, I was shocked when I attempted to find a new room to live in December 2023 and found the price of rooms in my area - an area constantly plagued with flytipping and with rooms suffering with mould and damp, on average started around at least £1000. I even considered guardianships based on the rates, but as Spratt succintly explains,“guardianships are nearly legal: they tread a fine line between the lawful and the unlawful. They operate in a deliberate grey area that falls outside of most of the regulations.” I fortunately found a room within budget that worked out, but not everyone does, and the horror stories provided from former inhabitants of these effectively derelict environments.
The book is vast, and covers a lot of heavy content in one go. Ranging from those who live in social housing and are required to wait until the very last minute of an eviction to avoid being intentionally homeless (and therefore not in need of state support), to people who are priced out of private renting through age, recent separations and the fact that rents aren’t in line with inflation. Spratt goes further, highlighting what happens to someone who never officially lived in the UK, who works without papers or formal contributions to the systems in place, exploited by employers and landlords who know they shouldn’t be renting a bedroom to 5 individuals for cash, and have no compassion for a change to circumstances. “When a migrant worker who is being exploited is no longer required of ale to work, they lose their home and any trappings of stability that came with it”.
Tenant’s is a very sobering read about the current circumstances in the UK, and a fresh reminder that anyone is just a few pay checks or a change in circumstance away from becoming homeless.
When I started Tenants, this was my first time reading anything produced by Vicky Spratt, and my only regret is that it took me this long to discover someone as thorough in their research and eloquent in their delivery of such a relevant and pressing issue. With a rare, UK-centric focus, Spratt breaks down an extremely complex housing policy environment, whilst not shying away from asking for accountability from relevant figures, as she asks “in recent years, these tunnels had become refuge for a number of street homeless people. How many politicians and Westminster staffers looked up from their phones and really saw them as they made their way into work?"
It’s difficult to pinpoint which part of the book had the strongest impact, as so much of it was new information for me. Admittedly, the housing crisis wasn’t a surprise, but the foundations that have led to it, combined with the current laws that no one is actively repealing (looking at you Section 21 no fault evictions) caught me by surprise and added a new level of appreciation for housing charities who fight what to many, may seem like a losing battle.
The book is well divided into separate case studies of individuals from different sections around the country, helping to provide a deeper understanding than that which is typically focused on - London. The reality though was bleak, given that all over the country, despite differing demands, salaries and expectations, “private tenants who complain to landlords about issues in their home have a 46 per cent chance of being evicted within six months.”
As a young professional working in London, I was shocked when I attempted to find a new room to live in December 2023 and found the price of rooms in my area - an area constantly plagued with flytipping and with rooms suffering with mould and damp, on average started around at least £1000. I even considered guardianships based on the rates, but as Spratt succintly explains,“guardianships are nearly legal: they tread a fine line between the lawful and the unlawful. They operate in a deliberate grey area that falls outside of most of the regulations.” I fortunately found a room within budget that worked out, but not everyone does, and the horror stories provided from former inhabitants of these effectively derelict environments.
The book is vast, and covers a lot of heavy content in one go. Ranging from those who live in social housing and are required to wait until the very last minute of an eviction to avoid being intentionally homeless (and therefore not in need of state support), to people who are priced out of private renting through age, recent separations and the fact that rents aren’t in line with inflation. Spratt goes further, highlighting what happens to someone who never officially lived in the UK, who works without papers or formal contributions to the systems in place, exploited by employers and landlords who know they shouldn’t be renting a bedroom to 5 individuals for cash, and have no compassion for a change to circumstances. “When a migrant worker who is being exploited is no longer required of ale to work, they lose their home and any trappings of stability that came with it”.
Tenant’s is a very sobering read about the current circumstances in the UK, and a fresh reminder that anyone is just a few pay checks or a change in circumstance away from becoming homeless.
May 23, 2023
@profile.books were kind enough to reach out a few months ago and ask me if I'd be interested in reading a non-fiction book based on stories from people who have been through awful and traumatic times during the housing crisis.
There are three parts, containing stories to do with that specific issue. These are Rent, Squalor, and 'The problem with change'. Each story is equally as horrifying, sad, and despairing to read. The first part talks a lot about section 21, which allows landlords to take back their properties which no real reason (no fault evictions), leaving people in dire straits, and frantically searching for a place to live.
One of the stories in part one shines a light on how the council handles these situations, providing inadequate help with temporary accommodation and support for the single mother and her child. This was horrid to read, knowing how many other people would be going through similar situations. This woman was told she 'wasn't homeless enough' for the help she actually needed... How can someone who has no home anymore be not homeless enough?
The layout of the book in general is straightforward, easy to read, and isn't too long-winded. As much as I enjoy non-fiction in theory, I only read it occasionally, as it's usually pages and pages of jargon that no layperson could understand. This is written for the people, to make sure we are seeing and clearly understanding this major crisis that renters suffer from.
I think at this point, this is essential reading for most people, whether you're a tenant, a homeowner, or even just a person who is interested in learning more about one of the many issues the UK faces. We all must become at least somewhat knowledgeable about the events that happen where we live.
For things to change, people need to learn and know when things are wrong, so as a collective, communities and groups of people can come together and make enough noise to make the government listen. If we all just sweep things under the carpet and pretend these things aren't as bad as they are, things will never change, and the government and councils will continue to get away with things like this.
There are three parts, containing stories to do with that specific issue. These are Rent, Squalor, and 'The problem with change'. Each story is equally as horrifying, sad, and despairing to read. The first part talks a lot about section 21, which allows landlords to take back their properties which no real reason (no fault evictions), leaving people in dire straits, and frantically searching for a place to live.
One of the stories in part one shines a light on how the council handles these situations, providing inadequate help with temporary accommodation and support for the single mother and her child. This was horrid to read, knowing how many other people would be going through similar situations. This woman was told she 'wasn't homeless enough' for the help she actually needed... How can someone who has no home anymore be not homeless enough?
The layout of the book in general is straightforward, easy to read, and isn't too long-winded. As much as I enjoy non-fiction in theory, I only read it occasionally, as it's usually pages and pages of jargon that no layperson could understand. This is written for the people, to make sure we are seeing and clearly understanding this major crisis that renters suffer from.
I think at this point, this is essential reading for most people, whether you're a tenant, a homeowner, or even just a person who is interested in learning more about one of the many issues the UK faces. We all must become at least somewhat knowledgeable about the events that happen where we live.
For things to change, people need to learn and know when things are wrong, so as a collective, communities and groups of people can come together and make enough noise to make the government listen. If we all just sweep things under the carpet and pretend these things aren't as bad as they are, things will never change, and the government and councils will continue to get away with things like this.
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