In Tenants, Vicky pratt lays bare Britain’s housing crisis and the mechanisms that put many private renters in acutely dangerous and life-altering situations. She explains in blunt detail the reasons we are in this mess, namely a lack of social housing, and house prices and private rents being too high. Much of the focus of Tenants is on Housing Act 1988 s21 evictions, which allow landlords to evict tenants without needing to establish fault; this underpins many of the stories featured in the book.

Scrapping this highly unpopular provision, introduced under Margaret Thatcher, currently has cross-party support and the 2019 Conservative manifesto promised to abolish it. However, Tenants makes clear that most of the damage has already been done. Limarra, whose story is told in chapter 2, was told she was going to be evicted from her flat in Peckham under s21. This triggered a traumatic period, during which Limarra became severely depressed and tried to take her own life, all while she and her daughter were waiting to be made homeless.

Spratt wants readers to know that this isn’t an issue that the government can afford to squabble over or delay on. Limarra and many of the other individuals featured in Tenants demonstrate that s21 evictions are destroying people’s lives. As Spratt says, ‘anyone … who is forced from their home … experiences an existential, physical and psychological rupture’.

Alongside the deeply personal stories, there is also a huge amount of useful information on the processes and laws that underpin the housing crisis. Obviously, it is not a handbook, nor does it claim to be, but if you are a tenant, unsure of your rights or the intricacies of the housing system, this book is a must-read.

However, Spratt is not without solutions. She highlights vital organisations like ACORN and Generation Rent, which are working to end s21 evictions, and points to housing policies from other countries such as Finland and Germany.

The Finnish Housing First model, which has achieved global recognition for ending homelessness, is clearly Spratt’s favoured solution to Britain’s issues. The approach is simple: give homeless people a house, with no conditions aside from an expectation that they make it a home. While Spratt acknowledges that for Britain in its current state, this solution is virtually impossible, there is an optimism that this would be a ‘good place to start’.

The value of this book rests in its ability to do and be so many things. It is, at once, a collection of memoirs, a guidebook, a history and a solution. Spratt’s expert knowledge and uncomplicated writing ties all these components together, making it a fluid, enjoyable read.