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A Labour Government would protect renters from eviction using German-style “indefinite” tenancies, Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey said.

Private tenants in England can be evicted for no reason, with one in five deals ended by landlords.

And Mr Healey said this meant many tenants were too scared to report problems as they lived “in fear of losing their homes”.

He added: “Insecurity of renting is a power imbalance at the heart of our broken housing market.”

In Germany where tenancies last, on average, 11 years, compared to around four in England.

Labour believe longer tenancies would act as a brake on rent increases, given that landlords may use the changeover of tenants as an opportunity to hike rents.

Tenants themselves would still be able to choose to leave the property after a period of notice.

The move was welcomed by homeless and housing charity Shelter who said they hoped the government would follow suit.

Greg Beales, Campaign Director at Shelter, said: “Private rents are already expensive, so when you add short-term contracts into the mix, the situation for renters is pretty tough.

“Given that one in four families now privately rent their home, an alarming number of people are at the mercy of no-fault evictions.

"Right now a family can be turfed out for no reason at any time, and saddled with not only the cost of moving but the huge burden of uprooting their lives.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. We look forward to seeing what the government brings to the table on longer tenancies, and hope they will give renters the security and stability they deserve.

"Our own research shows three-quarters of England’s private renters think they’d benefit from a longer tenancy – so the message is loud and clear – longer tenancies should be written into law."

At the 2017 election, Labour committed to default three year tenancies.

But the party now wants to go further.

They say they will now consult widely with landlord and tenant groups on the proper grounds for termination of a tenancy, ahead of the next election.

Meanwhile the government launched a consultation on introducing three-year tenancies as standard but is yet to legislate.