Rent caps needed to help homeless, charity says
BBCRising rent costs are pushing more people into rough sleeping and the new Renters Rights' Act needed to go further to support those in hardship, a charity has said.
The act came into force on 1 May and banned no-fault evictions, ended fixed-term tenancies and introduced new rules to stop bidding wars meaning renters cannot be asked to pay more than the advertised price.
Salford Loaves and Fishes, which supports homeless and vulnerable people in the city, said it was concerned it had not introduced caps on how much private landlords can increase rent.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it was "not looking at rent controls" as they could cause higher rents.
The latest government figures showed north-west England has seen a 20% increase in rough sleepers year-on-year, up from 367 in 2024 to 441 in 2025.
The figures showed Salford had a particular spike, with an estimated count going from 18 in 2024 to 41 in 2025.
Sam spent time living on the streets before being placed in supported accommodation.
However, after securing a job as a support worker, he had to leave, due to the rules governing the accommodation, and is now being supported by the Salford charity.
The 27-year-old said it was "getting harder and harder" to find somewhere affordable.
"I'm living with a friend of mine at the moment... I don't have any choice so it's very hard for me," he said.
"Even though I'm working at the moment I couldn't find an affordable house.
"The only affordable houses are council houses but I can't find [one]."
Debbie, who has also been helped by the charity, said the support it offered was a lifeline.
"It's living in temporary accommodation, sleeping on friends' settees... it can be just about anything."
She said she had been "quite lucky" as her medical issues meant she had "got somewhere pretty quickly, but I know people that have been bidding for three or four years [on social housing] and not getting anywhere".
Jenni Smith, chief executive of the charity, said the number of homeless people it supported was rising.
"I started over four years ago and our numbers keep increasing year-on-year.
"We average about 160 new people every month as well."
She said the new legislation did not go far enough and more was needed to help people in hardship.
"There are no caps on how much private landlords can increase rent, so that's the main thing that's causing people to be in this situation.
"There are things that they're trying to do to make a difference, but unless private rent is capped... at social housing costs within the area, it's never going to stop and that's something that only central government can change."
An MHCLG spokesperson said the act "bans no-fault evictions, it bans unfair rent increases and allows people to request a pet in their home as well".
However, they added the government was "not looking at rent controls".
"The reason we're not doing that is when this was introduced by the Scottish government... it ended with rents going much higher and the amount of homes available going down," they added.
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