Bristol’s mayor Marvin Rees has pledged to fulfil his manifesto promise of making the city the first to pilot rent controls.
He has teamed up with the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign – supported by Shelter – and community union ACORN to host an online renting summit on 2nd March to get renters’ views on rent controls as well as the council’s enforcement powers.
“I made a manifesto commitment to campaign for the power to introduce rent controls to make Bristol an affordable living city, and we are calling on the government to give us the power to regulate rents,” says Rees.
“Piloting rent control in Bristol will allow us to take a step towards tackling our local renting crisis and will help us develop learnings that can inform wider positive change for the rest of the city.”
Bristol’s housing chief Tom Renhard (pictured) was previously a leading member of campaigning group ACORN when it forced the council to toughen up demands on developers to build affordable homes, and roll out landlord licensing schemes.
He says Bristol rents are ‘out of control’ and believes the renting system is not fair, stable or safe.
“Unaffordable private rents are deepening inequality, as people on lower incomes are at growing risk of homelessness and many are being forced out of the city,” adds Renhard.
“It’s time for a reset in the relationship and for the national government to give us the powers we need locally to properly regulate privately rented housing.”
In Bristol, where demand vastly exceeds supply, the average price of a rented property is now at least £1,000 a month in most parts of the city, it is reported.
However, the National Residential Landlords Association insists rent controls don’t work and points to a lack of new social housing and flat real wage growth across cities in Europe and the USA where the presence of rent controls has done nothing to address affordability.
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