Giving this unprecedented time, we as students have not been giving much support with regards to our housing as many other types of tenants have been. The only advice we have been given is that despite the majority of us not returning to Swansea for the foreseeable future but only to pick up the small remainder of stuff, we are still expected to pay full rent. Whilst we can accept that we are in a legally binding contract, this Covid-19 pandemic is unusual and unprecedented. And we feel we should be given some leniency towards rent, whilst letting agencies and landlords believe that we get a student loan that covers our rent, for the majority of students that student loan has to be supplemented by other income in order to pay for rent, which in normal circumstances would be totally fair and understandable, but these are not normal times. We as students, have seen across the country landlords and letting agencies offer students who do not move back to their houses, the chance to pay half rent, which we believe is fair. We understand that the landlord’s may have a mortgage to pay and as a result are not expecting for a ‘get out of jail’ card to not pay rent as a whole, but instead we are asking for those who do not intend to return to Swansea given the current global pandemic that affects all of us the ability to pay half rent.

This is upsetting non-smokers as the smoke from the garden raises into their flats, especially in summer when the windows are most of the time open due to the warm/hot weather

Families across the residents of the glasshouse will not be able to pay for a room that isn’t being used especially when they are out of work because of governments advice or they have been directly effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only morally right to waiver the last sum.

As the coronavirus crisis continues and many of us are losing our jobs, more people than ever will be applying for housing benefits to help us get through. But unless the government increases the amount of rent it covers, thousands of people still won’t be able to afford their rent. That’s because right now housing benefits only cover the cost of the cheapest 30% of rent prices, and it can leave people hundreds of pounds short on their rent. With so many people suddenly relying on housing benefits to pay rent, and with no option to move to a cheaper flat, we’re calling on the government to increase the Local Housing Allowance to cover at least the average cost of renting and remove any caps stopping people getting the full amount. Will you sign the petition now, and help make sure that those impacted by the coronavirus crisis have the support they need.

BECAUSE MANY SOCIAL HOUSING TENANTS WILL NEED THEIR SPARE ROOM IN ORDER TO ISOLATE

Along with smoke detectors, they are to prevent unnecessary death and possible destruction in any household that catches fire. However, unlike smoke, which at least you can smell and see, carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer as it is harder to be humanly detected and kills on average 30 people a year with unexplained deaths also linked to the deadly gas.

In the very near future, thousands of private renters across Northern Ireland will face huge reductions in their income and be unable to pay their rent. Being evicted during the Covid-19 crisis will mean being unable to stay safe and healthy - and not spread the virus. The government has announced "mortgage holidays" for landlords and home-owners and cities in the US including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco have already taken action to stop evictions. Now it's time to give renters in Northern Ireland the protections they need to keep their homes during the coronavirus crisis.

On March 18, the government announced a 3-month ban on evictions, thanks to the efforts of 38 Degrees members, London Renters Union and the renters movement. However, the legislation that the government announced is weak, meaning thousands of people struggling to pay rent could still be chucked out of their homes in just three months. Some evictions are still taking place. The government has also so far failed to take action to suspend rent payments. No one should have to pay rent or get in to debt to their landlord during this crisis. This is a public health issue. If renters have to continue to earn large sums of money to pay rent, they will be unable to stay at home or look after those around them after the end of the current lockdown. Without action to suspend rent payments, large numbers of renters are now entering into debt to their landlord. Tens of thousands of people will be left trying to rebuild their lives while in huge amounts of debt. There will be an evictions crisis. People who already face the worst impacts of the housing crisis are likely to face some of the worst impacts of Coronavirus. The poorest and most vulnerable will be hardest hit. Homeless people need safe and secure homes to keep healthy. There are 216,000 empty homes across the UK. - these should be made available to homeless people to live in.

For renters, coronavirus is not only a major health concern - it’s a financial one too. People renting are some of the people most likely to be in the kind of precarious, low-paid work where taking time off to self-isolate is near impossible. If we're serious about containing the spread of the virus, tenants need to know that they won't face destitution for doing the responsible thing. That has to mean stopping rent collections for anyone affected - both those who are unable to work or who need to self-isolate - and making sure nobody faces the threat of homelessness or having to find another home during this time. If banks can grant home-owners ‘mortgage-holidays’, we need to see tenants given the same protections.

London and quadrant have put the service charges up for social tenants to £20pw. this will impact those on low incomes or JSA as the service charge element is paid directly by the tenant. If you get the maximum JSA rate of £78pw you have to pay £20 service charge per week. That creates poverty for all affected by this and is designed to make tenants with secure tenancies move so the property can be put on the market for open rent attracting 80% increase in rent charged. I live in a small 6 unit property and they are trying to impose this charge without checking the services they give. Presently we have dumped rubbish since November 2019, no entry phone or communal fire alarms. We barely get cleaning services and the dumped furniture blocks the cleaners cupboard so they cannot get in, so no cleaning. Currently we get alleged cleaning, gardening,and one bin. Please signed the petition to end this greed amongst housing associations. Since their privatisation in 2017 under Savid Javid Housing Associations are increasingly behaving like private companies, whilst straddling the lines to receive public funding but operating privately. This has to be challenged or London will turn into a elite place to live, whilst those in need are carted off to the outskirts of London or further. The government says it has an housing initiative to build more properties, however the properties build are for part rent part buy and are apartments so this attracts large service charges. We as Londoners most stand up to the government thinking of future generations and what these changes mean, asking the government to look again at the rules for social housing service charge. This is one of the ways housing associations are making money to build privately and not look after their social tenants or build for social rent.

Increasing rents are starting to price people out the market. It is not right that people have to pay hundreds more a month when a mortgage or council property would be cheaper. The gap between housing benefit and rents is widening which causes issues for people on low wages. Time to be fair to the working people who just need a roof over their head.

The charges are "OUT OF CONTROL" these companies are doing what they like, bring a blight to people's lives and the communities in which they have chosen to live.