Toynbee Hall · 2021
This Participatory Action Research report documents Toynbee Hall's 2.5-year project exploring how private renting can be improved for young people in East London. Working alongside 23 peer researchers aged 18–30, the team surveyed 80 young renters and conducted 14 in-depth interviews, finding that many struggled to access and understand their housing rights. The project went beyond research to co-design proposals with renters and landlords, ultimately producing recommendations around improving advice and information access, communication between parties, and tackling poor letting agency practice. The report also shares reflective learning on running a Participatory Action Research project with young people facing housing precarity.