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hallbrooke's review
5.0
**Full disclosure - Samir, one of the authors of this book is a friend of mine and I am one of the renters interviewed for this book**
This book was a really strong insight into the housing problems we face in the United Kingdom today, showing where they have developed and in addition sharing some knowledge about how renters can best tackle the situation they find themselves in.
Although the "how we fix it", as a reviewer mentioned below, is pretty implicit - to me the clear outcome was that we need to lobby our government to provide a strong solution to this crisis and we need to make sure that our voice is heard.
I'd really encourage anyone to pick this up - it's not that long of a book, which was great for me as someone who finds non fiction a bit harder to read (therefore it taking me a long time to get through!).
This book was a really strong insight into the housing problems we face in the United Kingdom today, showing where they have developed and in addition sharing some knowledge about how renters can best tackle the situation they find themselves in.
Although the "how we fix it", as a reviewer mentioned below, is pretty implicit - to me the clear outcome was that we need to lobby our government to provide a strong solution to this crisis and we need to make sure that our voice is heard.
I'd really encourage anyone to pick this up - it's not that long of a book, which was great for me as someone who finds non fiction a bit harder to read (therefore it taking me a long time to get through!).
lornesausage10's review
5.0
This is a really accessible non-fiction book which will appeal to anyone who has ever been a tenant in a privately rented property - which I and many of my friends have. It is very clear that this book is slanted towards a left-wing perspective on the private renting market and landlords, so anyone coming at this book looking for a nice balanced view of landlords is looking in the wrong place.
The point I believe the book is trying to make is that we, as a society, have got into a position where home ownership and housing are seen as "investments" and is no longer a basic right. This comes from a series of policy initiatives over the last forty years alongside the deregulation of the financial markets. 11 million people in Britain are now in the privately rented sector. The only real criticism that I have about the book is that the final section is a little rush and does not really give any solid, big political solutions to getting people out of the rent trap.
The point I believe the book is trying to make is that we, as a society, have got into a position where home ownership and housing are seen as "investments" and is no longer a basic right. This comes from a series of policy initiatives over the last forty years alongside the deregulation of the financial markets. 11 million people in Britain are now in the privately rented sector. The only real criticism that I have about the book is that the final section is a little rush and does not really give any solid, big political solutions to getting people out of the rent trap.
caroline_norrish's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
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