Generation Rent

Guardian’s Best Book on the Housing Crisis

Black mould, botched repairs, rent hikes, revenge evictions, stolen deposits – the stories recounted in bleak detail in this lively book will be sadly familiar to many people who have rented in the UK. Chloe Timperley, herself a young renter with a background in finance, is an insightful guide to how we got here, charting the impact of the right to buy, the iniquitous role of land agents, the scandal of ground rents and the ongoing leasehold trap – all of which have led to a situation where, on average, renters are spending close to 40% of their incomes on lining their landlords’ pockets.

Oliver Wainwright, the Guardian

‘A sobering non-fiction read this month is the well-researched Generation Rent… ‘The housing crisis is just getting started,’ warns Timperley in this important book.’

– MARTIN CHILTON, THE INDEPENDENT

‘An essential read about a broken housing market… We meet the victims of revenge evictions, botched repairs and bullying landlords and hear about mushrooms blossoming out of the mould on the walls as the rent cycles ever upwards.’

– PETER APPS, INSIDE HOUSING

‘A lively account of arguably the country’s biggest social and economic problem.’

– MARTIN WOLF, FINANCIAL TIMES

‘There’s something rotten at the heart of Britain’s housing sector, which is blighting the dreams of millions of young people. Generation Rent dissects this morbid condition, with rigour and passion — and shows us a way to treat it.’

– OLIVER BULLOUGH, MONEYLAND

‘“Generation Rent is ultimately the story of how the UK turned its youth into an asset class.” From that powerful opening uppercut, Chloe Timperley lands punch after punch on a rental system that is dysfunctional, demeaning and downright unfair … .’

– EOIN Ó BROIN TD, IRISH TIMES

Chloe Timperley lives in Sheffield. For Generation Rent, she interviewed MPs, economists and activists, went undercover at a property investment conference, joined a tenants’ union, and attended seminars on everything from ending homelessness to evicting tenants. Most importantly, she listened to the stories of hundreds of tenants.

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