Bristol tenants feel 'hopeless' and 'trapped by broken housing system'

ITV News' Max Walsh spoke to people about their experience of the rental market.

Renters in Bristol say they feel 'trapped' and 'hopeless' as the number of evictions rise and city's spiralling rents are forcing more people out of the city.

Bristol has become the most expensive place to rent outside of London.

Ahead of the July's General Election, voters in the city are urging the next government to prioritise housing to help lower costs and improve tenants' rights.

Stacey Nickel has been living in her rented accommodation with her son for five years but she's been issued with a no-fault eviction from her landlord and faces having to move out in September.

She says the enormous increase in rents, that has seen the city's average rent rise to £1,756, means she can no longer afford to the live in the area where she runs a business and her son goes to school.

Stacey said: "No matter what I do, all I can think about is the fact that I've got to move and that I cannot find anywhere to live.

"It just feels impossible. Knowing that the council cannot help me either because there are no council properties. Sometimes I just feel quite hopeless."

Stacey wants to see the next government prioritise building more affordable properties and to increase the number of council homes to take the pressure off the private rental market.

There are currently more than 20,000 people on the council housing waiting list in Bristol.

On the Downs, everywhere you look, there are caravans parked up. In the last four years the numbers of people choosing to live in vehicles has sky-rocketed.

It's estimated there are now up 650 van-dwellers in the city, a number which has quadrupled since 2020.

Nathaneal Hunt-Crabtree, who works for the ambulance service, moved into his van with his girlfriend after being evicted from his rented accommodation. He says it is currently the only viable option.

He said: "We've been priced out of Bristol for the last four years but we've just been trying to cling on a bit to see if we can still make it - but it's just not worth it.

"The sort of properties me and my girlfriend can afford is not just feasible. This van is bigger than the properties I would get. Trying to get a property in this city is ridiculously hard."

Nathaneal wants to see more done to protect tenants' rights.

Ally Rush, from charity Shelter in Bristol, said Bristol's whole rental market was 'broken'.

She said: "It is absolutely broken and renters have been let down. The rents have increased by 64% over the last 10 years, which is twice as fast as people's income.

"In parallel, we've also got more than 20,000 people on the waiting list for a social home which is putting pressure on the private rental market.

"What we see playing out is bidding wars - people being pitted out over fairly poor shoddy accommodation."