Really support
Independent journalism
Our mission is to provide unbiased, fact-based journalism that holds power accountable and exposes the truth.
Every donation counts, whether it’s $5 or $50.
Support us to deliver journalism without purpose.
Landlords have come under fire for barring prospective tenants from working from home, leading to calls for new laws to protect tenants.
In what appears to be a new trend, advertisements for share houses state that prospective tenants must not work from home.
Now the charity Generation Rent is calling on the new government to impose regulations to stop the practice, which it says is enforced by Section 21’s “no-fault” eviction powers.
Concerns have also been raised by renters in the UK, including disabled workers who work fully remotely. Independent These practices prevent people from working and put them at risk of becoming homeless.
The lawyer, Independent Landlords cannot stop tenants from working from home, but “the situation becomes more complicated if a tenant is trying to run a business from the rented property.”
A recent viral post on Twitter/X showed a landlord offering to rent out a double room for £1,300 a month, which would not allow the tenant to work from home, despite the room having a desk. The post read: “£1,300, a desk in the room but not allowed to work from home?”
The post was viewed by more than four million people.
A fierce debate has erupted about the legality and fairness of such requests, especially in a post-COVID world where fully remote and hybrid working is becoming more common.
The Office for National Statistics found that the average monthly rent in England will rise by 9% between 2023 and 2024.
Responding to the post, one Twitter/X user wrote: “This is totally ridiculous!”
“I think it’s for insurance reasons as landlords are asked if the property is being used for business purposes,” a second person speculated. “I think that’s definitely what the landlord is referring to.”
A third questioned: “We’re not allowed to work from home? How is that legal? I understand you can’t run a business.”
According to the survey Independent Our research has revealed that such ads are not uncommon on rental websites such as Spareroom, and are particularly prevalent among live-in landlords.
Spareroom’s advert, offering a double bedroom for rent for £800 a month, states: “Looking for a tidy female professional who does not work from home.”
Another bedroom, priced at £800 a month, is advertised as full- or part-time with a “no working from home” provision, adding that prospective tenants would “ideally” not make much use of the kitchen.
“If you snore, please don’t apply,” it adds, stressing that the ideal tenant should “love their space.”
Commenting on the first advert, a Spareroom spokesperson said: Independent“These aren’t traditional landlord-placed ads, but ads from people who live in the property.
“In these types of ads, it’s not uncommon for people to express some preference for working from home, whether that be from a lodger’s landlord or a current roommate.
“There could be a variety of reasons for this, from the space not being adequate to the extra strain on your Wi-Fi to impacting your bill.”
However, given the prevalence of remote and hybrid working since the pandemic, the problems this poses for prospective tenants are enormous.
One fully remote worker who is currently searching for a new rental property: Independent“After the market collapse in 2008 and the proliferation of zero-hours contracts, I switched my work model to freelancing, much of which involves working from home for set-up and management.
“When the pandemic hit, I was fortunate enough to have had to make few adjustments to my work patterns and was able to continue working full-time despite my ongoing disability.
“I’m currently looking for a new rental property but if I make it a condition that I can’t work from home I will be excluded from housing or excluded from the workforce. This is not a choice anyone should have to face, nor is it something that private landlords should force on them.”
Abtin Yeganeh, senior associate in the dispute resolution department at law firm Lawrence Stevens, explained that tenants have one protection in this area.
“Although landlords can try to remove a tenant’s right to work from home, the Small Business Employment Act 2015 (with some exceptions) provides that a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse a tenant’s request to work from home,” he said.
However, the continued existence of Section 21 evictions means that tenants could be forced to leave if they try to work from home, complicating matters for all involved.
Generation Rent chief executive Ben Toomey expressed similar concerns, Independent“If you’re paying rent, it shouldn’t be your landlord’s business what you do with it.
“Unfortunately, in practice there is little to stop landlords from imposing harsh conditions on tenants, as they can threaten eviction under Section 21 if they don’t comply.
“Whether the unreasonable demands are legal or not is not the issue. What’s most important is that evictions can be carried out without needing a reason.”
“When the next government reforms the renting system, as both major parties have promised, they must repeal section 21 and make it clear that unfair terms, such as bans on working from home, are unlawful so that a landlord’s selfish preferences cannot mean tenants are rendered homeless.”
