The modest housing market reforms advocated by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) are welcome, but could take decades to slow or even reverse the trend towards "generation rent" (Housing market fears as 'generation rent' keeps away from property ladder, 31 May). In the meantime, we are leaving more and more people in one of the most insecure rental sectors in Europe. In London, two in every five private rented homes are in a bad state of repair, and tenants who complain can easily be evicted – or given a huge rent rise – in retaliation. Young Londoners, for whom home ownership is furthest from reach, might like to see tighter mortgage regulations but they also really need a radical shakeup of tenancy rights.
Jenny Jones AM
Green party group, London Assembly
• The National Housing Federation predicts the average age of first-time buyers could soon rise to 43. As I'm nearly 43 I thought I would ask my bank manager about my chances of raising a £150,000 mortgage on the feeble remnants of my public sector income. Sure enough, the adverts were right in saying that I could have a response in less than 15 minutes … it took closer to 15 seconds for her to say no.
I suck the straw of my conciliatory fruit smoothie and ponder the problem. Maybe the price of property is too high? Maybe if they were to build more houses they would be more affordable. Not enough builders? Well, Bob the builder is currently signing on so he's free to work. Not enough land? Yes, that's pricey stuff, but then again even Holland manages to have enough houses for its people. Not enough capital? Hang on, didn't we give the banks a trillion pounds … surely they owe us?
The last of the smoothie slurps away, leaving me one remaining thought: some people don't want the value to fall. Some people ... like it this way.
Katherine Fyfe
Exeter, Devon
• Could the Institute of Public Policy Research explain why its report failed to address the issues of high rent and security of tenure for long-term tenants? It is surely only justice for tenants as the principal stakeholders that they should have some "share" in the property depending on the length of their tenancy. The IPPR should also address the issue of a Fair Rent Act. It would restructure the housing market, weeding out those landlords who so irresponsibly drove the market on the back of the high rents of their poorer tenants to the advantage of the first-time buyer.
Peter Hack
Bristol
• When will the campaign start to remove housing as an "investment" and replace it with housing for those who need homes? How about a law enabling the selling of privately rented houses to tenants, as council houses were?
Rev Tony Bell
Chesterfield, Derbyshire