News / Housing
Rent in Bristol has gone up by more than 50 per cent in under ten years
Bristol’s escalating rents are forcing people out of the city and increasing homelessness, say campaigners calling for action to fix the “broken” system.
Between 2011 and 2020, private rents have shot up by 52 per cent on average, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, while wages have lagged behind – rising by just 24 per cent in the same period. This means rents have risen at more than twice the rate of people’s income.
With support from Shelter in Bristol, renters have set up the Bristol Fair Renting campaign to highlight how problems with private renting are “fuelling poverty and homelessness and breaking up communities”.
is needed now More than ever
The group has launched a manifesto demanding action from the city’s politicians to make the system fairer, affordable, accessible and safe.
Acorn recently led a protest in Bristol against “uninhabitable renting conditions” – photo credit Stephen Noreiko
Penny Walster, manager at Shelter’s Bristol hub, says: “Our private renting system is not only unfair, it’s actually causing homelessness in the city. Rents are so expensive, and tenancies are too unstable. Too many people are living in poor conditions, and many are being barred from renting a home altogether just because they receive housing benefit.
“Private renters have a right to live in decent, safe and affordable homes, without fear of being discriminated against. We need local landlords and letting agents to be held accountable, so our city’s leaders must listen to the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign, address the power imbalance, and make fixing private renting a priority.”
The group is calling on the city’s political leaders to:
- Tackle expensive and out-of-control rents and lobby national government for more local powers to make sure that landlords charge fair rents for a good service.
- Be more proactive in tackling poor conditions to make sure the homes people are renting are decent and safe, and lobby national government to permanently protect renters from retaliatory evictions.
- Tackle discrimination in the private rental sector and create a local action plan to stamp out ‘No DSS’ policies, which unfairly exclude people who need housing benefit from finding a home.
Rents in Bristol have more than doubled in less than a decade – photo by Ellie Pipe
Elena is a Bristol Fair Renting campaigner and private renter, who says rent takes up a huge proportion of salary each month.
“Everything has been made worse due to the pandemic – while on furlough, nearly 50 per cent of what I earnt went straight on my rent,” said Elena.
“All this stops me from putting money aside to get onto the property ladder. Not only is the expenditure huge, but it’s stalling my future and the chance to put my own roots down.”
The 22-year-old added: “The conditions of rented houses are often appalling and, as tenants, you have no power. It takes a week for someone to come out and just look at my broken oven before calling someone to actually fix it. You can complain to your landlord, but if they don’t respond what can you do? You’re always scared to push too far out of fear you’ll be given a section 21 eviction – just for standing up for your right to a decent home.”
Shelter conducted a survey of more than 300 private tenants in Bristol last year and says some of the issues raised included the cost of rent in general and rent hikes, which are forcing people to move further out of the city or compromise on where they live.
Other concerns included hazardous living conditions – with problems such as damp and mould, poor insulation, rats or pests, and broken boilers commonplace – overcrowding and accessibility issues, uncooperative landlords and agents and discrimination.
Bristol Fair Renting campaign is calling for urgent change and is urging people across the city to give their support.
The group is partnering with ACORN Bristol to co-host an online Homes and Communities Assembly at 7.30pm on Thursday, April 22. This will be an opportunity to ask the mayoral candidates what they will do fix Bristol’s broken housing system. Everyone is welcome to attend for free – register for the event here.
Main photo of a mural by artist Benoit Bennett – supplied by Polly Tisdall
Read more: Podcast explores housing issues in Bristol
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