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Tenants

The People on the Frontline of Britain's Housing Emergency

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Tenants

By: Vicky Spratt
Narrated by: Vicky Spratt
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About this listen

One of the best books of 2022, Metro, Evening Standard, Refinery29, Cosmopolitan.

Tony is facing eviction instead of enjoying retirement; Limarra isn't 'homeless enough' to get help from the council and for Kelly and her asthmatic son Morgan, another new rented house is a matter of life and death. This is 21st-century Britain, where millions are forced into the private rental sector—a sector that creates profit for landlords, not safe and stable homes for tenants.

In this fierce and moving account, journalist Vicky Spratt traces decades of bad policy decisions to show how and why the British dream of homeownership has withered and the safety net of social housing has broken. Through the lives of those in the renting trap, she illuminates the ways this crisis is devastating our health, communities and political landscape. But, as the COVID epidemic showed, there are also real, radical steps we can take to give everyone the chance of a good home.

©2022 Vicky Spratt (P)2022 Profile Books Ltd Poverty & Homelessness Social Sciences Sociology Urban

Critic reviews

"A must-read." (Cosmopolitan)

"A major new book on the history and politics of renting." (Evening Standard)

"There is nobody better placed to write a book that tells the stories of 'Britain's housing shame'." (Metro)
All stars
Most relevant
The lilting delivery is difficult to listen to for long periods of time. But in general this was a very insightful book.

Difficult to listen to

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Whilst I’ve got some understanding of those reviewers who struggled with the lilting delivery, the book benefitted from being read by its author, in my opinion. It is an instructive and sobering analysis of the housing crisis in the UK and, regardless of your political persuasion, well worth a listen.

Hugely important book

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I loved this simple, down-to-Earth exploration of Britain’s messed up housing crisis illustrated with real-life examples of its horrors. Throughout claims are reasonably backed up and referenced and ideas presented, not necessarily Spratt’s own but an amalgamation of existing ideas which portrays hope that there is a way forward, which doesn’t have to be (overly) radical.

The narration is spot-on and Spratt’s frustrations are clearly voiced. If a paperback version is published then I’ll buy that in the future to dip in and out of and I’m confident I’d buy anything else Spratt writes.

Sublime

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A detailed and authoritative read - highly recommend listening to this if you live in the UK!

An important read

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As a housing professional who has worked in the sector for nearly 25 years, I was interested in what Vicky would have to say. I was impressed with how well researched and insightful this was. It was brought to life by case studies. Great to hear someone as passionate about this issue as I am.

insightful and passionate

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