'Tenants living in fear of eviction if they complain'.

HUNDREDS of thousands of vulnerable tenants are living in substandard housing because they fear being evicted if they complain, a report compiled by a Merseyside Citizens Advice Bureau worker claimed yesterday.

Debbie Crew, who is based in Crosby, said some landlords are using a loophole in the law to get rid of renters who ask for repairs around the house or object to the standard of accommodation.

The practice - known as retaliatory eviction - is disadvantaging people living in the estimated one million private rented homes that fail the Government's decent homes standard.

At present, private landlords can use a clause in the Housing Act 1988 to end a shorthold tenancy agreement without needing to provide any reason why.

Despite being illegal in other countries, using such measures against renters who complain about standards is not recognised in current UK law.

Ms Crew's report found that those most at risk from unscrupulous landlords are vulnerable tenants on low incomes.

Many are unable to simply leave their accommodation and move elsewhere and as a result feel trapped.

Ms Crew became aware of the problem while helping a woman who was suffering from a serious illness and living in damp, cold accommodation.

Ms Crew said: "It is totally unjust that people exercising their rights can lose their home as a result.

"I have visited homes that are freezing and damp but the tenant is too scared to complain."

Citizens Advice is calling on the Government to change the law to restrict the use of Section 21 of the Housing Act - which allows the fast-tracking of evictions.

A survey of 129 Environmental Health officers and Tenancy Relations officers found that nearly half had seen people put off using the help they were offered through fear of eviction by their landlords.

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Debbie Crew: fighting substandard housing