We all need a roof over our head, but years of bad policies have helped wealthy landlords much more than the average London tenant like me.
Our map shows the latest data on rents, earnings and homelessness in each part of London. Find out how bad the housing crisis is for private renters where you live.
Greens in City Hall will fight for rent controls and help private renters organise and stand together.
A London Renters Union, funded by but independent of City Hall, will help enforce existing rules for landlords and lettings agents, and will campaign with me as Green Mayor of London for the power to control rents.
Find out more about the London Renters Union.
*For City of London, income data is for 2013, other data is the latest available in 2015 or the financial year 2014/15
Data sources:
Valuation Office Agency: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/private-rental-market-summary-statistics-england-2014-15
London Datastore: http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/earnings-place-residence-borough http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/housing-benefit-claimants–borough
Department of Communities and Local Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
Green work on the housing crisis in London
Greens on the London Assembly, Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, have consistently backed groups of residents who want to build new homes, or save their council estates from demolition.
They exposed in February that plans approved by councils and the Mayor would lead to the net loss of 1,389 affordable rented homes, and 7,326 council homes across London.
Unlike the other parties who run these councils, Greens across London are standing up for renters and people living on estates under threat.
Sian Berry has pledged not to demolish council estates and to help residents develop and win support for alternative plans that provide more homes without demolishing the ones we have.
Our manifesto commitment to create a Community Homes Unit in City Hall comes from working with groups like West Kensington and Gibbs Green Community Homes, who want to take over their estate, and Self-help housing, who help homeless people bring empty homes back into use and rent them.
Holding the Mayor to account
Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson is deputy chair of the Housing Committee in City Hall and has published many reports on the problem and what can be done about it. Here are some recent examples:
- Where can we build new homes? Five new ways to find land that can close the house building gap in London – September 2015 (pdf)
- Can a nurse get on Boris’ property ladder? – April 2014 (pdf)
- Crumbs for Londoners – Why the Mayor of London’s housing strategy will do little for ordinary Londoners – September 2013 (pdf)
- Building our way out of the crisis? – a call for rent controls and other reforms to the housing market – November 2012 (pdf)
Watch Darren question Mayor Boris Johnson about his record on housing and rents, and whether homes are being built for Londoners or just investors: