Barking residents say: ‘Reverse 34% rent hike’

by Pete Mason, Barking Reach Residents Association chair

Argent House tenants on the Barking Riverside estate in East London face a shocking 34% rent increase over two years — with a 20% rise this April alone. This is just 13 months after a 14% increase in March 2024.

Residents, many on the minimum wage, say the hikes are unaffordable, leaving some paying 81% of their income in rent. A full-time worker, earning the new minimum wage, would be left with just £352 for food, bills, childcare, and everything else, after rent.

Unlike previous years, tenants received no advance notice of the increase, leaving them no time to seek alternatives. When challenged, L&Q’s property manager claimed the rise was based on “current market rates”. The Barking Reach Residents Association calls this an “extortion racket”, due to homebuilders’ land banking, and profit-driven landlords pushing rents beyond reach.

Despite promising social housing tenants a 2.7% cap (CPI inflation + 1%), L&Q’s private rental arm imposed far higher increases to its shorthold tenants. With £1.1 billion in annual turnover — partly funded by housing benefits — residents argue L&Q can afford to freeze rents.

Barking Reach Residents Association demands:

• Immediate reversal of the 20% increase
• Rent rises capped at 2.7%, in line with L&Q’s social housing policy
• Long-term solutions, including public ownership of housing associations, to ensure affordability
• Homebuilders and housing associations should be nationalised, under the democratic control of the working class. No one should spend 80% of their wages on rent, while landlords profit and homelessness rises.

With more tenants fearing similar hikes, pressure is mounting on L&Q to act.