My name is Jessica Hanshaw and I am a constituent of Newport East. I am writing to you today because I am concerned about the housing issue and more importantly the discrimination towards single parents when trying to obtain a rental property. This is something that’s particularly important to me as I am currently at risk of homelessness due to a non fault eviction. I am a single mum with three children ages twelve, six and one. During the February half term I was notified by my estate agent that my landlord will be selling the property and should therefore expect a Section 173 letter notifying me of 6 months to leave the property. I have been a resident at this address for over twelve years so this came as a shock to myself. Upon receiving this news I contacted Newport City re-housing department who were very helpful and were able to advise me on the next steps and provided guidance to help try to prevent homelessness.

One of the pieces of advice they gave was to continue to look for private rentals that were suitable and affordable. As I am sure you are aware, rent prices are currently very expensive and eat into the majority of an individual's income. Upon going through finances I was able to come to a figure that I believed I could afford without it impacting everyday life too much. With this in hand I proceeded to look for private rentals. To my surprise I have been finding adverts where it is stated "A pet/A child may be considered". Since when has a child been on the same level as an animal? A child is as entitled to a home just as much as an adult and it seems that landlords may be avoiding having tenants with children. I have also received an email to inform me that I was not successful on another property as the landlord would not accept tenants who were 1 adult with children so essentially excluding single parents completely. This is discrimination.

The current process when trying to obtain a rental is to submit all information such as; names, date of births, current living situation, employment and financial information, reasons for moving, number of children and number of pets. This information is passed to the landlord who reviews the information and chooses those eligible to view the property. This makes even securing a viewing very difficult. If you are lucky enough to secure a viewing (I have viewed one property in over thirty applications) it is then like a conveyor belt of one applicant in and one out. The landlord is then left again to make a decision on who they would like. Due to this process I am finding myself at a disadvantage every time. 

I am asking you to take the following steps to address my concerns:

· Help to end discrimination in the private rent sector

· Highlight the need for more social housing

· Put in place regulations that manage rental prices and increases

In your response I would like you to outline the ways you intend to address this on my behalf. If you're unable to address this personally, I would like to request that you escalate my letter to the relevant Minister or department.

Please do keep me informed of any progress made.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Jessica Hanshaw.