Bristol is England's least affordable city to rent in - should more be done?

Bristol is England's least affordable city to rent in, having overtaken Greater London. The government is hoping the recently-introduced Renters Rights Act will help - but does more need to be done?

Emily works in education and pays 41% of her income to her landlord for a flat she rents with her housemate.

In the past two years, she said they had experienced problems with rats, no hot water for a month and faulty windows which led to mould.

"It's exhausting and makes me so angry," Emily said. "I pay 41% of my income on a house that's had so many issues, for a landlord who doesn't care.

"Over the last two years, my housemate and I have collectively put over £30,000 in his pocket."

According to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, which covers 2024, the average rent in Bristol amounts to 45% of the average salary - compared to 42% in Greater London.

The statistics show some areas of the capital - such as Islington and Camden - are less affordable than Bristol, but the capital's average score is brought down by more affordable boroughs such as Greenwich, Waltham Forest and Kingston upon Thames.

Under the Renters' Rights Act introduced in May, landlords can now only increase rent once a year within "market rate".

Tenants can take their case to tribunal if they feel a rent increase is unfair and not within "market rate".

But campaigners say rates are already too high, with renters in Bristol spending five and a half months of their annual income on rent.

Harley Jones, director of Nook Lettings, said Bristol's increasing rental prices were a case of supply and demand.

"Part of the problem in Bristol is lots of properties have been converted from family homes to student properties and HMO properties... and that's taken away from couples, single lets and families," she said.

"So it's really about changing the type of stock that you've got within the market."

A group of local and national organisations, backed by homelessness charity Shelter, are writing to the city's MPs, councillors and the West of England mayor, urging them to pledge their support to new powers to tackle "unaffordable" private rents.

There are many different forms of rent control. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has long campaigned, unsuccessfully, to be given greater powers, and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has also previously said he "absolutely" would introduce controls in Greater Manchester if he could.

"We've seen the [West of England] mayor talk in the past about policies that make material difference," said Nye Jones from Generation Rent.

"A limit on how much landlords can raise the rent would make a huge difference over time to bring down the cost of renting and also stop people getting suddenly priced out of their homes," he added.

But Harley Jones, who is a renter herself, said rent controls were "not the answer".

"Putting in rent controls is only going to lead to more people leaving the market, the less landlords we have, the less supply, the higher the rents will end up going," she said.

And Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook pointed to other European countries which introduced rental controls and experienced some difficulties.

In Stockholm, which has a long history of rent controls, the average waiting time for a rent-controlled property is about 10 years and illegal sub-letting has increased.

Rent controls continue to exist there, as in cities like Berlin.

In Scotland, rent increases were frozen or capped for two-and-a-half years from September 2022. But while existing tenants were protected, rental prices surged for those between tenancies.

A new Scottish law means councils will soon be allowed to ask the government for permission to impose rent controls on private properties in some areas.

Pennycook said rent freezes were "not a credible or serious policy proposition".

"I can't remember how many times I'm on record of saying this government has no intention, does not agree with rent controls, and there are really good reasons for that", he said, citing examples of other countries which introduced them.

West of England mayor Helen Godwin acknowledged rental and house prices had been "out of control in recent years, pushing some people to the edge of their budgets and pushing other people out of places like Bath and Bristol entirely".

She is thought to be open to the idea of rent controls if there was evidence to prove they could work, but does not think she is likely to get the power under this government.

"A regional, interventionist approach can often bring real benefits for residents and the local economy," she said.

"It's something to be considered across the board, as we work together to build the homes that people need and can afford - with the right services and transport links too."

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.