In February 2021, Kate and Jason moved with their three sons into a one-bedroom flat in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. By October 2022 it was riddled with mould, one window was wedged open, a wall-mounted kitchen cupboard had almost fallen on to one of their sons, and the shower emitted a burning smell. Warming the house, Jason told the Derby Telegraph, was costing “£10 to £12 [$18-$21] a day”. In an effort to persuade their landlord to fix the problems, the couple withheld £2000 of rent payments; instead, the landlord simply issued an eviction notice.
In the UK the number of homes available to rent fell 49 per cent between March 2019 and March 2022. Getty
