The findings reveal shocking discrimination towards minority ethnic communities while they navigated the private rental market.

The initial findings, from a survey conducted with 105 private renters, highlight the many inequalities, both individual and structural, which affect people who identify as minority ethnic. The Runnymede Trust acted as an advisory role during the creation of the survey and the following stages of the project.

Generation Rent argues that the Renters’ Reform Bill is an opportunity to address these inequalities but that shoring up housing support in the benefits system and increasing funding for local authority enforcement would also help those who face the worst conditions.

Minority ethnic respondents were significantly more likely to have been threatened with several legal and illegal actions by landlords or letting agents, as were lower-income respondents.

The research found that:

• 38% of minority ethnic respondents had been threatened with an eviction compared to 28% of white British and Irish respondents.
• 22% of minority ethnic respondents had been threatened with an unaffordable rent increase, compared to 16% of white British or Irish respondents.
• 19% of minority ethnic respondents had been threatened with court action by their landlord or letting agent compared to 8% of white British or Irish respondents.There were early indications of the cost-of-living crisis impacting minority ethnic and lower-income renters disproportionately.
• 37% of minority ethnic respondents stated that in the last 6 months they had found it “a lot” more difficult to pay their rent than usual compared to 24% of white British or Irish respondents.

Minority ethnic respondents said that, on average, their rents had increased by £130.69 per month and their energy bills by £104.38 per month in the last 6 months before taking the survey. Their white British or Irish counterparts reported monthly rent increases of £86.75 and energy bill increases of £59.44 in the same period.

A total of 29% of minority ethnic respondents reported experiencing faulty electrics and 18% reported inadequate fire precautions in their current home. Of those who had reported their most recent repair issue to their landlord, minority ethnic respondents were 17% more likely than white British or Irish respondents to report that their landlord had NOT put the maintenance issue right.

Dan Wilson Craw, acting director of Generation Rent, said: “The minority ethnic renters we spoke to have faced blatant discrimination and racism while navigating the private rented sector. But they also indicated key structural issues, such as income and affordability, which more insidiously acted as further barriers in accessing safe and secure housing. These renters disproportionately live in unsafe housing, faced higher rent and energy bill increases, and encounter more issues with their landlords and letting agents.

“Marginalised renters are too often met with landlords and letting agents that do not treat them or their issues seriously. They are too often forced to live in any housing they can find – regardless of the condition. And they are too often being forced to live in fear of their landlord’s response when exercising their rights.”

“The government cannot delay any more in bringing in a Renters’ Reform Bill, and the Bill must be comprehensive enough that it improves the lives of all renters – especially those who are marginalised and already face discrimination. They must also provide greater support for marginalised by raising Local Housing Allowance, scrapping the benefits cap, and increasing Discretionary Housing Payments funding to local authorities. Finally, ministers must increase local authorities’ budgets to support regulatory and enforcement functions in local authorities.”