It's a total disaster! How soaring rents, cut-throat competition and unscrupulous landlords are destroying tenants

不動産ウェブサイトRightmoveの数字によると、英国全土の市場家賃は2021年第2四半期から今年の同時期までに12%近く上昇しており、これは平均で月額119ポンド(21,000 円)、年間1,428ポンド(258,000 円)の追加に相当する。(English) Figures from property website Rightmove show that market rents across the UK rose by nearly 12% between the second quarter of 2021 and the same period this year - equivalent to an extra £119 a month on average, or £1,428 a year.

'It's a total disaster!' How soaring rents, cutthroat competition and unscrupulous landlords are breaking tenants 

Want to rent a flat or a house? Be prepared to queue in the street, get into a bidding war or pay a deposit for a place you haven't seen.

//Summary -Level-C2//

The UK rental market is experiencing a severe crisis, with a shortage of homes and increased demand leading to skyrocketing prices. Many tenants, even those with good salaries, struggle to find affordable housing, often settling for subpar conditions. The situation has been exacerbated by a mass exodus of private landlords due to high house prices and legislative reforms. The crisis is pushing many into financial hardship, with calls for the government to freeze rents and introduce tenant protections. Experts suggest that a long-term solution is building more houses and social housing to meet the growing demand.

A)

1)

When she lost her job last year, Katharine had been renting in London for almost two decades, most of her adult life. Unable to afford the £900 a month she paid for her one-bedroom flat in Crystal Palace, she moved to Stratford-upon-Avon.

But she missed the capital. "I'm a Londoner through and through," says Katharine, 40. "Coming back was a question of when not if."

Katharine got a new job this spring and began preparing for her return.

2)

The cheapest properties she could find cost more than £1,000 a month, about £150 above her price range. Those listed for less were snapped up, regardless of quality.

On several occasions, Katharine made the five-hour round trip from Stratford to London for viewings, only to find that the property had already been let - or was being hotly contested. "I was desperate," she says.

3)

Tenants are used to making compromises between what's available and what's affordable, between what's good for now and what's desirable. This summer, however, tenants looking for a new home are finding it increasingly difficult.

A shortage of homes and increased demand have pushed up prices - and not just in London. According to the Office for National Statistics, rents across the UK rose 3.2% last year, the fastest since the financial crisis.

B)

4)

Young people who moved back in with their parents in the past two years are now looking for a place to live; many who left the city to work remotely are now looking to return, as employers ask them to return to the office.

There has also been an increased demand for more space - from those who can afford it. "People who work from home, even occasionally, are looking for one more bedroom than they would have, which has created more competition," says Wilson Craw.

5)

Meanwhile, the number of homes available to rent has shrunk dramatically. The trade organisation Propertymark found that availability has halved since 2019 due in large part to a mass exodus of private landlords.

Mainly due to a mass exodus of private landlords. An unusually high number have sold up in response to factors such as high house prices, legislative reforms to protect tenants and improve conditions (to discourage rogue operators), and what has been dubbed the 'great reappraisal.'

The result is that more people are crowding into fewer rooms - even in places where supply previously met demand.

6)

A recent analysis by property market consultancy Dataloft found that affordability in cities such as Rotherham, Bolton, Salford, Walsall and Dudley has plummeted since the pandemic. Across the UK, it has become commonplace for prospective tenants to be asked how much rent they are willing to pay, with the property going to the highest bidder - sometimes as much as £300 over the asking price.

Those properties at the affordable end are snapped up unseen, often within minutes of being listed online.

C)

7)

Imo and a friend, both 25, started looking for a two-bedroom flat in north and east London in June. They made around 20 enquiries but were only fast enough to view five.

Eventually, they were offered a flat in Newham, east London, that was not yet on the market. It was listed as furnished but came without beds, was available a month later than needed, had a washing machine full of mould and "hadn't been cleaned in about a month," says Imo. The agent told them they could take it as it was or find it elsewhere. They took it.

8)

Some might say that renting in London has been difficult for years, but a sharp reduction in supply - dating back to at least last summer - has exacerbated the problem. New figures from estate agents Chestertons show that the number of homes available to rent in the capital fell by 38% in the year to July.

D)

9)

With disturbing regularity, social media is filled with listings for studio flats with a shower next to the sink or lofts with ceilings so low you can't sit in bed. Though the images are darkly comic, the real punchline is the asking price - often well over £1,500 a month in London - and the knowledge that someone will surely pay it.

10)

Even those on good salaries are struggling. "It's hell," says Julia, 22. She and her partner, 23, were due to move from Cambridge to London this month and have a combined annual income of about £132,000. They do not want to spend more than £2,500 a month on rent as they hope to buy a home one day. But even that budget no longer stretches to a two-bed in zone two.

11)

She says in the past that "you could compromise" on available properties, but now hardly anything is within reach. She was shocked that the small three-bedroom flat she rented with friends in Maida Vale in 2020, which "reeked of mice", had gone from £2,250 a month to £3,400 in just two years.

E)

12)

Figures from property website Rightmove show that market rents across the UK rose by nearly 12% between the second quarter of 2021 and the same period this year - equivalent to an extra £119 a month on average, or £1,428 a year.

13)

Fi left London for Essex four years ago, partly because she has a disability and cannot work full-time. Earlier this year, she and her partner Paul, both 33, decided to look for a shared house in his home town in Suffolk. They soon realised they had to act quickly. "The number of people trying to get into each place was just crazy," says Fi.

The couple booked two viewings on the day she went into hospital for an operation. Fi told Paul to go without her. "I said, 'We have no choice. We need somewhere to live.'"

14)

One house was more or less ideal; Paul was told that if he were interested, he would have to apply on the spot. "It was a case of fastest finger first - so I filled in application forms from my hospital bed," says Fi.

Their application was supposedly successful, but with two weeks to go until they are due to move in, they have not been asked to pay a deposit or sign a tenancy agreement; Fi is still worried that it might fall through. In the meantime, she and Paul share a room in his parents' house, sleeping in single beds.

15)

In an overheated market, landlords can dictate their terms, such as asking for financial documents with applications or six or even 12 months' rent in advance.

F)

16)

Tenants are selected for new tenancies based on uncertain, potentially discriminatory criteria. Katharine feared that her Slavic surname would put her at a competitive disadvantage.

"Anyone with a name that's not Anglo-Saxon gets a bit paranoid, especially with Brexit," she says. A survey by One Generation Rent found that 19% of LGBTQ+ private renters said they felt discriminated against because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Lucy, 27, looked into house-sharing and 'co-living' for her move from Manchester to London but was unsuccessful. She ended up paying for a studio flat in Stockwell, south London.

17)

When the agent asked Lucy to drop the six-month break clause in her offer, she agreed - anything, she says, to end the uncertainty and "endless scrolling".

Lucy points to figures from the flat-sharing website SpareRoom, which show a 239% increase in 55-64-year-olds looking to share since 2011. Compared to other prospective tenants, she's lucky to have options, she says, "but I can't help but feel bitter about the whole process".

18)

Some unscrupulous landlords are taking advantage of the crisis by increasing rents mid-tenancy, confident that if their existing tenants refuse to pay, others will. A recent Generation Rent survey of private renters found that 45% had been approached with a rent increase in the past year, with one in five (20%) being asked for more than £100 a month extra.

19)

On top of the cost of living crisis, the squeeze on the rental market pushes people into financial hardship or poverty. The homelessness charity Shelter says that requests for emergency assistance have increased by 177% since the start of the year.

Generation Rent's research shows that tenants unable to afford rent rises are forced into a hostile market. The group calls on the government to freeze rents on existing tenancies, immediately suspend no-fault evictions (soon to be banned under the Rent Reform Bill) and introduce protections for tenants who fall behind on their rent for reasons beyond their control.

G)

20)

Wilson Craw suggests that the crisis may force a rebalancing of the rental sector. "Landlords will start to take a hit because people just don't have enough to pay rent, energy bills and everything else."

21)

"In the long term, things will only get better if we start building more houses," says Freddie Poser, director of the Priced Out campaign. "Landlords can raise rents so much because there is no competition in the sector: there are simply too few places to live.

22)

Younger generations are particularly disadvantaged. According to Dataloft, four in ten under-30s spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

23)

Similarly, more social housing is needed for the growing number of people who cannot afford market rents. "We need it all: more housing of all kinds," he says. "All parts of government need to push for this."

24)

The agent had 30 enquiries about the flat within 30 minutes of it being listed online; Katharine put down a deposit, sight unseen, within 10 minutes. "I realised I just had to be realistic and take whatever was affordable," she says.

The flat turned out to be small and noisy. Katharine hopes to move to a more comfortable place next year. But, she adds with a hint of foreboding: "Who knows?"

// New words//

1. Soar: To rise quickly and dramatically.

Example: The eagle soared high in the sky.

2. Cutthroat: Ruthless or intensely competitive.

Example: The job market is cutthroat these days.

3. Unscrupulous: Having or showing no moral principles; dishonest and unfair.

Example: The unscrupulous businessman cheated his customers.

4. Landlords: People who rent property to others.

Example: The landlords raised the rent again this year.

5. A bidding war: When multiple parties repeatedly outbid each other to win an item or property.

Example: The house sale turned into a bidding war, with the price going

way over the asking price.

6. Put down a deposit: To pay money as a first instalment or as a pledge for a purchase.

Example: I put down a deposit on the new car yesterday.

7. Afford: To have enough money to pay for something.

Example: I can't afford to buy a new car right now.

8. Through and through: Completely, in every aspect.

Example: He's a New Yorker through and through.

9. Triumphant: Having achieved a great victory or success.

Example: The triumphant team celebrated their win.

10. Punctured: Pierced with a small hole.

Example: The balloon punctured when it hit the sharp edge of the table.

11. Above her price range: More expensive than one can afford.

Example: The designer dress was above her price range.

12. Snapped up: Quickly bought or acquired.

Example: The concert tickets were snapped up within minutes of going on sale.

13. The five-hour round trip: A journey to a place and back again, totalling five hours.

Example: The five-hour round trip to the beach was exhausting.

14. Fiercely: Ferociously or intensely.

Example: The two teams fiercely contested the championship.

15. Contested: Argued against or disputed.

Example: The election results were contested by the losing party.

16. Desperate: In a state of despair, typically resulting in rash or extreme behaviour.

Example: He was desperate to find a job.

17. Compromises: Settlements of disputes where each side makes concessions.

Example: They reached a compromise after hours of negotiation.

18. Affordable: Inexpensive; reasonably priced.

Example: The sale made the expensive clothes more affordable.

19. Aspire : A strong desire to achieve or become something.

Example: She aspires to be a successful writer.

20. Deputy Director: A person who assists a director in their duties.

Example: The deputy director took over the meeting in the director's absence.

21. Squeeze: To apply pressure to something.

Example: Squeeze the lemon to get the juice out.

22. Reverberating: Echoing or resounding.

Example: The sound of the explosion was still reverberating in the air.

23. Occasionally: Sometimes, but not regularly.

Example: I occasionally go for a run in the park.

24. Sought: Past tense of seek; attempted or desired to obtain.

Example: He sought help from a therapist.

25. Drastically: In a way that is severe or radical.

Example: The company's profits have drastically decreased this year.

26. Shrunk: Reduced in size.

Example: The sweater shrunk after I washed it in hot water.

27. A mass exodus: A situation where many people leave a place simultaneously.

Example: There was a mass exodus from the city during the hurricane warning.

28. Legislative reforms: Changes or improvements to laws.

Example: The government is considering legislative reforms to improve healthcare.

29. Disincentivising: Discouraging an action by making it less attractive.

Example: High taxes are disincentivising businesses from investing in the region.

30. Rogue operators: People who act dishonestly or unethically, often in business.

Example: The rogue operators were caught selling counterfeit goods.

31. Plummeted in towns: Dropped or fell quickly and dramatically in cities.

Example: Property prices have plummeted in towns since the economic downturn.

32. Prospective: Likely or expected to happen or become.

Example: The prospective benefits of the project are immense.

33. 20-odd inquiries: Approximately 20 inquiries.

Example: I've made 20-odd inquiries about the job but haven't heard back.

34. Readily exceeded: Easily surpassed or went beyond.

Example: The athlete readily exceeded the previous record.

35. Furnished: Equipped with furniture.

Example: The apartment is fully furnished.

36. Mould: A fungus that grows in damp, warm conditions.

Example: There's mould growing on the bathroom ceiling.

37. Estate agent: Sells and rents buildings and land for clients.

Example: The estate agent showed us several houses for sale.

38. Exacerbated: Made worse or more severe.

Example: His lack of sleep exacerbated his health problems.

39. Advocating: Publicly recommending or supporting.

Example: She is advocating for better healthcare policies.

40. Crunch: A critical moment or situation.

Example: The company is facing a financial crunch.

41. Unnerving: Causing one to lose courage or confidence.

Example: The haunted house was unnerving.

42. Punchline: The final part of a joke or story that explains the humour or surprise.

Example: The punchline of the joke made everyone laugh.

43. Compromise: An agreement or settlement of a dispute reached by each side making concessions.

Example: They reached a compromise after hours of negotiation.

44. Reeked of the mouse: It had a strong unpleasant smell, like a mouse.

Example: The old attic reeked of mice.

45. Insane: Extremely foolish, outrageous, or irrational.

Example: It's wild to go out in this weather.

46. Craziness: The state of being wildly irrational or mentally unsound.

Example: The craziness of the situation was overwhelming.

47. Supposedly: According to what is generally assumed or believed.

Example: He is supposedly the best player on the team.

48. Discriminatory criteria: Unfair standards or rules that result in prejudice or favouritism.

Example: The company was accused of using discriminatory criteria in its hiring practices.

49. Disadvantage: A circumstance or condition that reduces one's ability to succeed.

Example: His lack of experience was a disadvantage in the job interview.

50. Paranoid: Unreasonably or obsessively anxious, suspicious, or mistrustful.

Example: He became paranoid that his friends were plotting against him.

51. Co-living: A modern form of housing where residents share living space and interests, values, or intentions.

Example: She decided to try co-living to save money and meet new people.

52. Clause: A distinct article or provision in a contract, treaty, or constitution.

Example: The contract has a clause that allows for early termination.

53. Capitalising: Taking advantage of a situation.

Example: He's capitalising on the current trend in the market.

54. Mid-lease: In the middle of a lease period.

Example: She decided to move out mid-lease, which was quite complicated.

55. Evictions: Expelling someone, especially a tenant, from a property.

Example: The landlord is facing criticism for the evictions of several tenants.

56. Taxation: The levying of tax.

Example: The government's taxation policies are under review.

57. Ensure: To make sure.

Example: Please ensure that the door is locked before you leave.

58. Insulate: To protect from outside influences.

Example: The coat is designed to insulate against cold weather.

59. Alleviate: To make it less severe.

Example: The medicine helped to alleviate her symptoms.

60. Nabbed: Caught or arrested.

Example: The thief was nabbed by the police.

61. Foreboding: A feeling that something terrible will happen.

Example: She had a sense of foreboding before the exam.

£900 a month (160,000 yen)

£1,000 a month (180,000 yen)

£1,500 a month (270,000 yen)

a joint annual income of about £132,000/y (23,900,000 yen)

£2,500 a month (450,000 yen)

from £2,250(407,000 yen) monthly to £3,400(615,000 yen) in just two years.

On average, an extra £119(21,000 yen) a month, or £1,428(258,000 yen)a year.

//Postscript//

The 2021 Japan Family Income and Expenditure Survey provides data on the average cost of living for a person living alone in a rented apartment (private housing). It shows that the average rent for a single person is 50,854 yen per month.

Also, the average monthly cost of living is 179,795 yen, so it can be said that rent is about 30% of the total cost.

The average cost of living alone is about 128,000 yen, excluding housing costs. Therefore, for example, a person with a take-home pay of 210,000 yen can live even if the rent is set at 70,000 yen, one-third of the income.

What is the average rent for a single person? Let's take a look at the national average and by Tokyo area!

https://www.homes.co.jp/cont/money/money_00186/

And I haven't heard any news that rents are skyrocketing, especially in Japan.

However, prices are going up a little bit every month, but salaries are staying the same, so the situation of life getting more complicated and complex is continuing.

Inflation isn't just about food and clothing. There is also a story that "rent continued to rise".

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/sakuraiyukio/20220725-00306444

Electricity bills are also soaring, and the Japanese government's subsidies are due to end this autumn so the impact will be considerable from this winter.

Temperatures are already high this summer, and the number of places where daytime temperatures reach 40 degrees is increasing.

In Tokyo, it will be 35 degrees every day by 2023, and the number of heatstroke cases will continue to rise.

On 17 July (holiday Monday, Navy Day), the temperature in central Tokyo rose rapidly from the morning. Only five times in the past 20 years have temperatures exceeded 30°C at 7 am in July. By 10:30 am, it will be a scorching day with a high of 35°C or higher. In the afternoon, heat is expected to rise above the body temperature cited. Temperatures will remain high through the night, and the dangerous heat could last long.

Central Tokyo Temperatures rising fast Five times dangerous heat in last 20 years Already a scorching day

https://tenki.jp/forecaster/deskpart/2023/07/17/24262.html

I think the only solution to the current rise in rents in the UK is to build lots of houses.

The Japanese government still constructs cheap apartment blocks in various parts of Japan.

I think they're pretty old now, but there's no doubt that they've become a destination for people on low incomes, older people, immigrants and migrants.

Public Housing In The United Kingdom

https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/jp/public-housing-in-the-united-kingdom

Prologue

Public housing in the UK, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of privately rented households exceeded that of publicly rented families.

Council housing is public housing or housing built as public housing, made by or for the local authority. Since the 1980s, non-commercial housing associations have grown in importance, and the term 'social housing' has become widely used.

Strictly speaking, public housing refers only to council housing, but the terms are used interchangeably. Before 1865, the private sector provided accommodation for people with low incomes. Later, in Scotland, council houses were built on council land, known as schemes, which often included other facilities such as schools and shops. From the 1950s, in parallel with the large-scale development of terraced housing, there was an active development of condominiums and 3-4 storey maisonettes.

Apartments and houses were also built on the estate. Public housing was created primarily to provide working-class people with secure tenancies, affordable rents and decent, uncrowded accommodation. By the mid-20th century, council housing included several large suburban council estates, characterised by terraced and semi-detached houses, often with additional facilities such as schools and shops. . . By the late 1970s, almost a third of British households lived in council housing.

Since 1979, council housing stock has been sold to private individuals under the Right to Buy Act, and new council housing has been developed and managed mainly by housing associations. A large proportion of the UK population still lives in council housing. In 2010, it accounted for around 17% of UK households.

About 55% of the country's social housing stock is owned by local authorities. Increasingly, inventory is routinely managed by independent management companies rather than directly by councils or housing associations.

History

The history of council housing is also the history of poor housing. Even this statement is controversial because, before 1890, the state was not involved in housing policy. Public housing was needed in 1919 to provide a home fit for a hero' and later to enable the eradication of slums. Standards were set to ensure quality housing.

The Labour politician Anailin Bevan was passionate that council housing should be accessible to all, while the Conservative politician Harold MacMillan saw it as a "stepping stone to home ownership".

Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government introduced right-to-buy in 1979, and the millionth council house was sold within seven years. Eventually, as the public housing stock was transferred to private ownership, the council had to rent back its homes to house people experiencing homelessness.

Public housing