The following article was published in the Croydon and Sutton Guardian on the 14th May 2026.
Every week in my inbox, I see the same story play out in different ways.
A family given two months to leave their home with no explanation. A young couple watching their rent jump by hundreds of pounds overnight, knowing they cannot afford to stay. A tenant living with damp and mould, too afraid to complain in case they are forced out.
These are not rare cases. They are the reality of renting in Croydon today.
For too long, the system has been stacked against renters. You could do everything right, pay your rent on time, look after your home, build your life in a community, and still be told to leave at a moment’s notice. Not because you had done anything wrong, but simply because the law allowed it.
That is a broken system. And from the May 1, we’ve changed this with the Renters’ Rights Act.
This new law is the biggest improvement in housing rights in a generation and 104,488 renters in Croydon will benefit – more than a quarter of local residents.
It is not a small tweak or a technical fix; it is a fundamental shift in power back towards renters.
No more no-fault evictions. No more being forced out without reason. No more living with that constant uncertainty hanging over you.
For the renters I represent, that alone is a game changer.
It means the family who came to me after being told to leave their home with two children in a local school can start to put down roots again. It means the young renter who has to keep moving properties can settle in and get more involved in their community.
It means people can build a life, not just get by month to month.
The new rights go even further.
Rent increases are now limited to once a year and must be fair. The backdoor evictions we have seen through sudden, unaffordable rent hikes will be challenged.
Bidding wars, where desperate renters are pushed to offer more and more above the asking price, are over. The days of having to pay a significant sum of rent upfront are gone.
Families will no longer be turned away simply because they have children or are on benefits. And tenants will have the right to request a pet, so constituents don’t have to give up animals they love just to keep a roof over their heads.
These are changes rooted in the everyday reality of people’s lives. They are about dignity as much as security because renters should be able to grow roots in an area and make a home where they live.
This is what Labour in power delivers. Not slogans, but real, tangible change that people can feel in their daily lives. The ability to turn the key in your front door and know you are not going anywhere. The confidence to challenge poor conditions without fear. The chance to plan a future in the place you call home.
