Mother calls for rent controls after 'shock rise'
A single mother whose rent has increased by 20% is calling for a cap on how much it can be raised.
Bridget Chapman, 56, from Darlington, County Durham, was given a month's notice by her landlord when they increased her rent by £100.
Ms Chapman said while she welcomed reforms in the Renters' Rights Bill currently going through Parliament, they did "nothing to stop shock rent rises" like her family was currently faced with.
A government spokesperson said the bill would "empower tenants to tackle unreasonable rent hikes".
"I just got so angry that the landlord can raise the rent whenever he wants and give me a month's notice," Ms Chapman said.
"I'm paying a lot more now and it's having a knock-on effect on everything else.
"I have a very low disposable income so it's really difficult, especially since everything else has gone up including gas and electricity."
The Renters' Rights Bill seeks to introduce an end to no-fault evictions, stopping bidding wars for tenancies, helping tenants challenge unreasonable rent increases and preventing landlords from demanding more than a month's rent in advance from a new tenant.
Ms Chapman experienced extreme dampness in her previous home, which led her to being rushed to hospital with pneumonia, she said.
"We moved into the property and I've got asthma, so the damp started to creep in," she said.
"We didn't realise how bad until the mould was literally black.
"The landlord gave me a dehumidifier which literally did nothing.
"Luckily I was okay. I survived, but when I had to recover, I had to go back to the house, which was full of damp and mould."
Ms Chapman hoped her new home, which she has been renting for eight years, would be better but she now feels she has suffered a "huge blow" to her security.
She launched a petition calling for a cap on rent increases, which has gained more than 45,000 signatures.
A government spokesperson said: "Through our Renters' Rights Bill we are taking decisive action to transform the private renting sector for the better and empower tenants to tackle unreasonable rent hikes."
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