If you're a millennial living in London, it can't have escaped your attention that it's a very tough situation out there if you're a renter.
According to Homes and Property, London is now the most expensive place to rent in Europe, and the fourth most expensive place to rent in the entire world.
Further to that, if you're looking to rent a three-bed place in London, it'll set you back a tidy £5,187. Add in agency fees, removal costs, and deposits, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the whole system is rigged in favour of landlords.
So, it comes as no surprise that Sky News anchor and landlord Jayne Secker was labelled 'patronising' during an interview on Monday after she ranted about the incompetence of young tenants.
Secker, who revealed herself as a landlord, spoke to recently evicted tenant Kirsty about the high costs of renting in London.
After Kirsty highlighted the difficulty of finding a place to rent within two months of being evicted, and also how hard it is to afford to pay rent, Secker said:
But that's not the landlord's fault, is it? That's just the housing market. The landlord would have the same issue if you decided to move out in two months.
I suppose some would say, and I am speaking as someone who has rented flats and who also rents flats out, that especially with the younger generation, you very often find that the younger tenants don't really know how to do a great deal in homes.
I, for example, have had tenants complaining that lights have popped because they don't know how to change lightbulbs. I've had tenants complain about heating... and they haven't turned the boiler on. It's just very obvious things.
Do you think you've found amongst your friends, perhaps, that you're aren't equipped with the necessary skills to rent?
In response, Kirsty hit back, calling the Sky News presenter's line of questioning 'patronising', and many people on social media were quick to agree.
I didn’t tweet about this earlier cos it made me so furious I wanted to ignore it. But I can’t stop thinking about… https://t.co/BCUUyW4acB— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@Hannah Jane Parkinson) 1555367575
This is agonising to watch. What happens to you when you own multiple homes. Do you just magically lose your abilit… https://t.co/GP2dpIE4IL— Rebecca Reid (Taylor’s Version) (@Rebecca Reid (Taylor’s Version)) 1555363549
Sky News anchor (who also happens to be a landlord) decides to turn an interview about housing policy into an irrel… https://t.co/CNn4aVg98k— Jon Stone (@Jon Stone) 1555347998
In another glorious day for Britain's oh so impartial broadcast media, a Sky News presenter who is a private landlo… https://t.co/0vZqUqIJDz— Owen Jones 🌹 (@Owen Jones 🌹) 1555354228
Big landlord energy here, responding to a hard-working young person with worries about becoming destitute because o… https://t.co/w7daa7NdmR— Helena Horton (@Helena Horton) 1555397807
What on earth are the “skills to rent” ?! https://t.co/00BbXQKIvC— Fatima Manji (@Fatima Manji) 1555362336
Wow. The tone of this anchor’s ‘questioning’ is appalling. Says so much about her character. https://t.co/UvLRE2jL0U— Kerry McQueeney (@Kerry McQueeney) 1555363320
This isn't Secker's only blunder of late. The Sky News presenter was labelled 'arrogant' and 'trite' after she took an African proverb about it taking a village to raise a child at face value, during an interview about violent street crime among youth.
Live on @SkyNews earlier. Think the presenter got a bit confused 🤦🏾♂️ FYI “It takes a village to raise a child” is… https://t.co/gfPL23JbCj— GUVNA B (@GUVNA B) 1555332681
HT Digital Spy
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