More than half of tenants are staying put in their rental properties despite wanting to move, mainly because they cannot find a suitable new home that they can afford.
Research by flat-share website SpareRoom found that the top three deterrents to tenants moving are the “lack of available housing within budget”, “the shortage of rental supply”, and “stiff competition from other renters”.
The study found that six in 10 tenants felt the rental market had had a negative effect on their career progression.
One in five reported that, over the past two years, they had turned down a job offer to avoid having to look for a new place to rent.
This meant that many had missed out on higher earnings and other opportunities.
Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that 45% of tenants have avoided contacting their landlords or letting agents over the past year, mainly for fear of triggering rent increases.
As a result, potentially dangerous problems such as faulty fire alarms and mould are not being dealt with.
Of those tenants avoiding contact, 32% have not reported a minor repair issue and 25% have not asked their landlord or agent about fittings or appliances that need to be fixed or replaced.
Worryingly, 16% have not reported a mould problem and 8% have avoided telling their agent or landlord about safety-related issues such as faulty alarms.
When asked why they had avoided contact with their landlord or agent, respondents were able to select multiple answers.
The top reason was the fear of triggering a rent increase for 58%, for 42% it was the assumption that their landlord or agent wouldn’t respond or help fix the issue.
For 35% it was to avoid confrontation and for 31% it was the fear of triggering an eviction.
SpareRoom director Matt Hutchinson says: “A healthy economy relies on a flexible workforce, which we won’t have if people can’t move.
“With UK room rents now at record highs, and household affordability stretched, many tenants simply have no choice but to stay put and hope their rent doesn’t get any higher.
“Even for those who could afford to move, avoiding the stress of the rental market is taking priority over career progression and opportunities.
“Home is supposed to be a solid platform that lets people go out and build happy, productive lives, yet clearly for many people this simply isn’t the case.
“If we’ve reached the point where people are turning down job opportunities and career progression for fear of having to re-enter the rental market, our politicians are letting people down in a major way and have been for years.
“The upside is that the Renters’ Rights Act addresses some of the key problems tenants face.
“The end of no-fault evictions, a once-per-year limit on rent increases, and an end to bidding wars and fixed-term tenancies will adjust the balance of fairness for renters and hopefully remove some of the fear and uncertainty around reporting issues.”
