London renters are spending almost £300 million a year on repairs their landlords failed to carry out, new research shows.
The study found people living in London’s 898,000 or more privately rented properties paid an average of £328.40 per household on repairs that should have been carried out by the owners in the past year. Common items that needed fixing include boilers (37 per cent), baths, showers (29 per cent) and toilets (26 per cent).
The survey of 2,000 London renters also revealed that one in 14 (seven per cent) have waited longer than three months for routine repairs, while 11 per cent have waited more than a month.
The research, by Uncle — a serviced apartment start-up — found 40 per cent of London renters have never had a landlord they trusted, with 21 per cent saying their bad relationship with their landlord had affected their health.
One in six (17 per cent) claim negligent landlords put their lives in danger, with one in eight (13 per cent) saying difficulties with landlords affected their relationship with a partner. Two per cent even said they found hidden cameras or recording equipment they believe was put there by a landlord.
James Maley, 35, rented a two-bed apartment in East Finchley for six months and told the Standard he spent “about £2,000” in repairs. When he moved in, the oven was not working and there was no washing machine. His landlord took weeks to fix them, so he had to eat out and use a laundrette.
He claimed there was “substantial” damp, so Mr Maley, an advertising executive, had to buy two dehumidifiers which ran up a £1,100 electricity bill. Uncle chief executive Ryan Prince said: “Dodgy landlords have had all the power. There’s a clear need for change.”
