Fun as it is to whine against those nasty private landlords, be careful what you believe.
On October 1st the Deregulation Bill became law. It adds lots of extra legislation, including outlawing 'retaliatory evictions'. This means that if a tenant raises major concerns about a property to the local council, the landlord cannot evict while these problems remain unfixed. Of course this just gives a tenant the right to stay in a dump because landlords who let places that bad won't do anything.
this is the private sector. HAs do seem to be able to get away with anything and THAT is what needs fixing.
still, I'm not worried. My rental is entirely fit and was immaculate when it was rented out, and I do all the maintenance I can. It is being trashed but not by me.
the answer, as always, is not to rent filthy dumps. 'but there's no choice', you say. Well, that's because there's too many people all wanting to live in the same place.
Right to Buy is also the root of the problem. Too many people, not enough housing, no space to build it, plenty of it to fix but no incentive to do so.