Renters are being reminded of their rights and responsibilities as part of a fortnight of action by Hackney Council to put private tenancy in the spotlight.

Posters are on show in streets all over Hackney to highlight their legal rights and inviting them to sign a petition calling on the government for a range of legislative changes to improve living conditions.

Thousands of landlords across the borough are also being written to, to update them on recent changes in the law and also to remind them of their responsibilities.

The council’s “10 steps to better private renting” petition launched last year, and since then the government has agreed, in part, to four of the council’s requests: compulsory installation of smoke alarms, making retaliatory evictions harder, national bans for rogue landlords, and for lettings agents to display certain fees.

The council is also pushing for inflation-capped rents, longer tenancies, asking the government to publish a list of convicted landlords and letting agents, and compulsory protection for rent and fees paid in case a lettings agent goes into administration or misappropriates funds.

To view the petition see hackney.gov.uk/10-steps.