• YOUR article on rent rises (Up and up and up! September 29) was very measured.

What would improve matters is more housing: social housing (too expensive) or encouraging developers (yes, more housing and revenue to government) in order retain the valuable social mix of places like Camden.

Also needed is an increase in the LHA, local housing allowance, which ultimately will cost less to the taxpayer due to the inescapable fact that living standards of the most vulnerable are in practice hard to reduce further.

By freezing the LHA that should be keeping pace with rent increases, the government is pitching local authorities against landlords and tenants in a three-way fight.

In a recent survey 87 per cent of landlords considered the government to be hostile. Labour are taking a harder stance wishing to make rent arrears discretionary grounds.

It is a dangerous game pushing landlords too far as they can be, credibly and indeed are, selling out to avoid existing problems and more in the future.

So far 260,000 rental properties in the private sector have been lost in recent years. Constant tinkering and chipping away at the sector and anti-landlord regulation and the conflicts expressed above encourage divestment not investment.

So what do you do if you are a private renter? If you really can’t pay you will have time before the bailiffs arrive while, awful as it is, you have to be made homeless before the local authority has to come to your aid. And it will fight not to do so.

If you can get most of the way there to meeting your rent you could go through with the landlord a phasing in of any increases and then only of (some of) the cost rises the landlord is actually facing. Don’t, for example, include interest costs if the landlord has no mortgage.

This is partly what is so unfair about rail costs going up with inflation, as most of their costs are fixed. Pay your rent on time if you can and behave considerately. In these difficult times that will distinguish you.

Do raise maintenance and fit for habitation issues as poorly maintained property may not only be uncomfortable but is probably illegal. However maintenance results in lower costs later to the landlord.

A good landlord should not retaliate if you point out maintenance issues but clearly you need to be able to judge how far to push this. Don’t underestimate your power if you are a good and loyal tenant.

If you are looking to rent be fully prepared to move very quickly and have all your paperwork at the ready. Don’t be too discouraged about queues around the block as some applicants are unsuitable anyway. Some are just chancers in a rent to rent scam and cannot demonstrate they can afford the property advertised.

ALEX SHINDER, NW3