‘Home Truths’: A socio-legal exploration of the private rental sector and the home experiences of Generation Rent

My thesis explores the legal concept of home and the experiences of private rental sector tenants in England. ‘Home’ is difficult to define, despite the extensive literature on the topic. My thesis analyses the cross-disciplinary approach to home and identifies its core themes. Legal scholarship on the topic is largely absent, especially in relation to private tenants. The term ‘home’ does feature in contemporary legislation, albeit undefined. Rather, the legal conceptualisation is an accumulation of decades of policy, legislation and case law. My thesis analyses its development and bridges some of the gaps in the scholarship. My examination of private rental sector legislation and case law from the last 100 years reveals a nuanced conceptualisation of home that is reflective of the broader scholarship. However, contemporary legislation acts as a disjoint. Assured shorthold tenancies and s.21 eviction notices under the Housing Act 1988 mean that tenants have little control and limited security of tenure. My empirical findings suggest that private tenants experience lesser versions of home. This is problematic as 19.5% of households in England privately rent, and the sector continues to grow. My empirical research focuses on a sub-set of Generation Rent, defined as private tenants aged 18-35 that aspire to homeownership but are financially unable to do so. In my thesis, this group is referred to as Generation Rent¹. Their aspirations of homeownership offer an interesting perspective on the tenant home. My analysis highlights a condition I have termed the ‘Janus Syndrome’, an original contribution to the scholarship. My participants’ aspirations for their future homes and nostalgia for their childhood home causes a lack of engagement with their current homes. My analysis of the three perspectives of home (cross-disciplinary, legal and individual) produces fresh insights into the meaning of home and the role of law in experiencing home.