London renter threatened with £500-a-month hike describes 'nightmare' toll
A renter threatened with a £500-a-month hike in payments before being evicted from her property has described the experience as "like living a nightmare".
Science teacher Alexandra Rodriguez-Romero, 36, told The Mirror the ordeal left her worrying whether she "was going to have another roof to live under".
Ms Rodriguez-Romero had complained that the smoke alarms had stopped working in her two-bedroom flat she shared with her partner in Sutton, south London.
But after receiving no response for two months she was later informed that unless they paid nearly £500 extra in rent each month "we should leave".
"Obviously because we weren't going to pay that much for that flat in those conditions then that is when we received the eviction notice by post," she said.
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She has since moved to a new property but fears the threat of eviction again. After years of delays the Government, which has ruled out rent controls, is still yet to ban so-called no-fault evictions - section 21 notices. They allow landlords to evict tenants on a whim and without giving reason.
Alexandra Rodriguez-Romero met with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to discuss the housing crisis (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)Describing the toll on her life, Ms Rodriguez-Romero said: "It's more than stressful, it's horrible, it's like living a nightmare. I don't know how to describe it because it's so frustrating and your levels of anxiety are so high.
"During that I couldn't focus on what I was doing because I was thinking all the time if I was going to be able to have another roof to live under or being homeless. You really face the risk of being homeless."
Her comments came as the London Mayor Sadiq Khan said average rents in the capital could surge beyond an eye-watering £2,700 next year.
The figures, gathered by City Hall, mean that many Londoners can expect to pay £133 more than the current average of £2,567 calculated by Rightmove.
It also comes after the Bank of England's 14 consecutive interest rate rise today, which could pass on costs to cash-strapped renters.
Speaking to The Mirror Mr Khan also said the average Londoner now spends 40% of their wages on rent. And he warned even more renters are "going to be struggling to make ends meet" with both bills and rents on the rise.
He said: "I don't think there's been a time in recent history where things have been this tough for those renting privately in London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan talking to The Mirror (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)"The cost of renting a one bedroom property in London is equivalent to a three-bedroom property across England."
Attempting to give renters a "lifeline", Mr Khan is now repeating his demand for the Government to give local leaders the powers to impose rent freezes.
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Despite Labour not adopting the policy and Rishi Sunak's Tories ruling it out, Mr Khan said he will "not give up lobbying and campaigning".
"I'm not saying by the way it's a one size fits all policy. What is right for Edinburgh is not the same as what's right for Scarborough. But in London the idea of people being able to afford £2,700 from next year is not realistic."
He added: "We've got not just cleaners, porters and bus drivers leaving London. We've got nurses, doctors, start-ups... my worry is you're north of 30, thinking of starting a family, thinking of wanting a garden. If you've not put money aside while you're renting because of the rents landlords in the private sector are charging you've got no chance to fulfil your aspiration to be a homeowner."
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