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How do Rishi Sunak’s measures announced yesterday stack up given what today’s English Housing Survey findings tell us?

Support for jobs is essential, but millions have already lost income and are struggling. Even before the pandemic hit, 43% of private renters were paying unaffordable rent (more than 30% of income including housing benefit) – rising to 57% in London

28% of England’s private renters – 36% in London – have reported difficulties paying their rent. Well, those figures will have shot up in the past few months. And with 61% of private renters having no savings, millions were in a very precarious position when we entered lockdown.

There is no way renters in arrears can be expected to pay off all their rent once incomes recover, especially as the impact of the new support scheme is so uncertain. @RishiSunak needs to step in and the end rent debt crisis – support our campaign here: https://www.generationrent.org/coronavirusdebt 

The government’s overriding priority for housing is to boost home ownership, but the stamp duty holiday has wiped out most of the tax advantage first time buyers had.

If landlords – with better access to mortgages – expand their portfolios, home ownership could fall again.

One bit of good news was the Green Homes Grant, which is promising, but only if @AlokSharma_RDG makes it easy for renters to request improvements.

Private rented homes are twice as likely to fail standards on “thermal comfort” (10%) than owner occupied homes (5%), the EHS finds

Finally, a reminder that private renters have endured the worst conditions under lockdown:
37% are in flats (ie minimal outdoor space)
8% have no living room (ie minimal indoor space)
38% report damp (ie respiratory problems)

@BorisJohnson owes us a fairer housing market