We need a new deal for private tenants and landlords | Campbell Robb | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

We need a new deal for private tenants and landlords | Campbell Robb | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Although it had a chapter on private renting, there was actually very little for private renters in the government's housing strategy – a glaring omission given the growing importance of the rental market in England.

Private renting is under increasing strain. More and more families can't get on the housing ladder and are renting for longer, while there is simply not enough genuinely affordable housing to meet the needs of lower-income and vulnerable groups.

Demand is outstripping supply and the market reaction is rapidly rising rents. More than 1 million families with children now rent privately – a 77% increase in two years; rents are unaffordable to the average working family in 55% of England; and rogue landlords are making life a misery for thousands of households. Some 86,000 complaints were made to local councils in the last year.