The London Assembly is urging the Mayor to carry out a
review of the London Living Rent to ensure women in London can
afford to live in decent homes within the capital and to reduce
inequalities associated with the gender pay gap.
One of the Mayor’s affordable housing products is London Living
Rent, where rent is based on a third of average local household
incomes and adjusted for the number of bedrooms in each home.
The London Assembly Housing Committee met in July 2022
where they heard real-life experiences from women in London and
the challenges they face with housing costs.
At the meeting, there was a discussion about whether rent policy
for London Living Rent could take account of the gender pay
gap. Women earning the women’s median wage need to spend 63%
of their earnings to afford the median private rent in London,
compared to men needing to spend 49% of their earnings.
The Committee has today published its
report Women and housing: a gap in the
market with 13 recommendations for the Mayor and
Government to reduce inequalities in housing for women in London.
The recommendations include:
- The Mayor should review London Living Rent and consider
changes to the rent setting policy to have regard to the gender
pay gap, for example whether some rents could be set at median
women's incomes rather than general median incomes.
- The Mayor should expedite plans to deliver his manifesto
commitment to launch a cross-sector policy forum to coordinate
efforts to advance gender equality.
- The Mayor should work with local authorities to deliver
support to women in need of housing, such as tenancy guarantees
and help finding longer term housing. He should support local
authorities to develop clear and detailed communications to women
on housing waiting lists who are being discharged into the
Private Rented Sector.
- The Government should: a) respond to the findings from the
Mayor’s cost-benefit analysis of removing the ‘No Recourse to
Public Funds’ policy; b) state whether the policy is to be
continued; and c) if the policy is to be continued, explain the
justifications for its continuation.
Chair of the Housing Committee, AM, said:
“Improving the quality of housing for Londoners is rightly a
key priority for the Mayor and there are opportunities for him to
begin to level the playing field for women.
“The London Plan’s explanation of affordable housing states
that annual costs housing costs should be no greater than 40 per
cent of net household income.
“Research shows that women are currently, on average, having
to spend 63 per cent of their earnings on housing, and this
simply is not sustainable.
“The gender pay gap causes significant challenges to women in
London. We firmly believe that if the Mayor takes the appropriate
steps, through our recommendations, there could be a significant
improvement in women having the opportunity to rent or own their
own home in London.”
Notes to Editors:
- The report Women and
housing: a gap in the market is attached.
