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Bristolians paying half of income on rent
More than half of Bristolians’ income now goes on rent as the housing crisis worsens, according to the Mayor for Homes coalition.
The campaign group, set up to put pressure on the mayoral candidates to commit to tackling the crisis, said average private rent in Bristol for 2014-15 was £915 per calendar month – among the highest rents in the country outside London.
During 2014-15, rents in Bristol rose 11 per cent, over three times faster than incomes.
The rises mean the average Bristolian – earning £20,552 after tax – renting the average private tenancy is now paying 53 per cent of their take-home pay on rent. The average across England is 44 per cent.
The Mayor for Homes coalition includes the National Housing Federation, Business West, Great Western Regional Capital, Bristol Supported Housing Forum and Acorn.
Their demands include setting up a city-wide landlord licensing scheme which has already been trialed in Easton and backing the Ethical Lettings Charter introduced by Acorn.
Nick Ballard, from Acorn, said: “Shocking as these figures are they will come as little surprise to private tenants. The lack of affordable housing means landlords can charge ever-higher rents knowing that desperate tenants will be forced to pay up.
“With little protection from eviction at the best of times, these are now on the rise as our jobs don’t pay enough and it gets harder to cover the rent.”
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