News / Politics
Rally to urge council on letting standards
Bristol mayor George Ferguson is being urged to commit the city council to improving private rental standards by adopting a new set of guidelines.
Over 100 demonstrators from tenants’ rights campaign group Acorn are expected to gather to greet members of his cabinet before they consider a new Ethical Lettings Charter.
By adopting the charter, produced by Acorn, the city council will guarantee its own properties meet a minimum requirement and encourage private landlords to follow suit.
Acorn, formed in Easton in May 2014, produced the charter in response to rising rental prices and falling conditions in high demand areas like East Bristol.
The city council says that 75 per cent of properties inspected in its discretionary licensing zone around Stapleton Road are “not decent”.
Local authorities and letting agents who sign the charter commit to one of three levels of minimum standards – from Bronze to Gold – which include guarantees about security, transparency, low costs and quality of property.
A report to Ferguson’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday, October 6, will also ask the council to endorse the charter so that Acorn can use the council’s logo when encouraging more agents to sign up.
In a call for people to gather outside Ferguson’s cabinet meeting, Acorn said: “Back in March, Acorn made history when we successfully lobbied Bristol City Council to become the first local authority in the country to listen to the voices of private tenants and support our Ethical Lettings Charter.
“But local democracy isn’t quite that simple and at times bureaucracy and internal politics has threatened to undermine the voice of organised tenants.
“The recommendations for the mayor to vote on are positive – but we can’t take it for granted. We’ll be holding a rally outside the mayor’s cabinet meeting to support a yes vote.”
To make guidelines on the Ethical Lettings Charter a statutory obligation, it would require law change at Government level.
Read the Ethical Letting Charter in full.
Read about the backlash to the lettings agent which encouraged landlords to hike rents.
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