RENTERS groups, unions and charities sounded the alarm today over the government’s failures on rental reform, warning that help for tenants “stands in stark contrast” to support for mortgage holders.

An open letter to Rishi Sunak called on the Prime Minister to “take seriously the insecurity that is plaguing private renters” in England and to speed up the passage of new legislation through Parliament.

Data by the Office for National Statistics revealed last week that rents in Britain are now at the highest rate on record, up 5.1 per cent in the year to June, amid a cost-of-living crisis.

It added that renters are almost five times more likely to experience financial hardship than homeowners.

And Tuesday’s official homelessness statistics, reported in the Morning Star, showed that the number of households and children in temporary accommodation in England are at record highs.

Westminster has announced reforms to protect renters’ rights through a proposed Bill, which had its first reading in May, but no date has been set for a second.

Campaigners have also slammed the Renters (Reform) Bill for containing little action on issues driving rent rises — including a lack of housing.

Signatories to today’s letter, co-ordinated by the Renters’ Reform Coalition, include housing charity Shelter, community union Acorn, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the National Union of Students, The Big Issue, Citizens Advice, and Independent Age.

They wrote: “We saw how quickly your government moved to introduce a ‘Mortgage Charter’ in response to recent rising interest rates, in order to prevent repossession and ensure mortgage-holders have security in their homes.

“The government’s record in delivering on security for renters unfortunately stands in stark contrast.”

The letter also lamented the slow progress made by the Bill, calling for this to be expedited and for its contents to be beefed up.

It said: “With rents rising at record levels, many renters will still be at threat of eviction based on unaffordable rent rises.

“Your Housing Secretary has said that rent rises of up to 20 per cent and 30 per cent are unacceptable, yet the Renters (Reform) Bill will not prevent these increases happening in many instances.

“Further, the Bill retains some unsatisfactory aspects of the current system.

“Renters can still be served an eviction notice — through no fault of their own — after four months of a tenancy.

“If renters are to receive anything resembling the security of other tenures, feeling confident to put down roots in their communities, this needs to be considerably longer.”

They also called for the two-month notice period before tenants can be evicted to be extended, saying “it is simply not long enough — and is a major cause of homelessness following evictions from their privately rented homes.”

Coalition campaign manager Tom Darling, referring to recent statistics from Shelter which suggested almost 200 families each day are being handed no-fault eviction notices across England, said: “This is the human cost of the government’s lackadaisical attitude to delivering on this key piece of legislation.

“That is why we as the Renters’ Reform Coalition and partners have joined together today to write to the Prime Minister and ask why the government can’t seem to see that private renters deserve security in their homes, just like everyone else, and that they deserve it now.”

A government spokesperson said that its priority is “ensuring that we get these reforms right,” adding: “The date for second reading of the Bill is subject to parliamentary scheduling and will be announced in due course.”

Rising rents are not the only costs pushing tenants into poverty, with research by the Social Housing Action Campaign revealing today that nearly 90 per cent of housing association residents face service charges too high for the services provided.

Some 32 per cent of renters said they found themselves facing increased debts or arrears as a result.