By Francesca Elliot, Third Year, Classics
In November, Bristol's first Green MP, Carla Denyer, met with students to discuss renters’ rights and the challenges of student housing in Bristol. During the talk, she outlined her current and future plans to tackle the housing crisis and answered students’ questions about their housing concerns.
Bristol is rapidly becoming an unaffordable place to live for many, with the price of housing 'rising faster than nationally and much faster than average incomes'. There is a serious lack of affordable housing, and as Denyer stated, Bristol has now become ‘more expensive to live in than half of London boroughs’, a situation that was not the case until recently. Students in particular are struggling, facing expensive rent demands, poor living conditions, and severe shortage of accommodation. This is a devastating situation for both students, who must choose between enormous rent bills and lengthy communities; and locals who feel they can no longer live in a city they call home.
Renters’ Rights Act
Denyer has been a vocal advocate for what she describes as ‘restoring Britain's housing’. Last week The Green Party celebrated a major step forward with the passing of the government- backed Renters’ Rights Act, which is expected to take effect in 2026. This act aims to 'rebalance the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants', protecting renters from unreasonable rent increases, discrimination and substandard living conditions.
‘The ultimate goal, Denyer explained, is to empower tenants and create a fairer, more sustainable housing system.’
Denyer is particularly pleased with the abolition of Section 21 'no fault' evictions, which will prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a legitimate reason- a significantly distressing ordeal for renters. However, she acknowledges that without rent controls, landlords could still raise rent to force tenants out and is working to make rent tribunals more effective to combat this. Landlords will also no longer be able to demand more than one month's rent in advance, a practice Denyer described as discriminatory towards people on housing benefits and those with low incomes. Overall, she is confident the reforms will significantly strengthen renters’ protections and therefore hopefully represent progress in improving the housing crisis.
‘Abolish Landlords’ and Reshaping the Private Rental Sector
Denyer also discussed the Green Party motion passed last month titled ‘Abolish Landlords’. While the name drew headlines, she admitted it can be misleading, as the motion does not literally seek to abolish landlords, but rather to put in more regulations and taxes on private rentals through measures such as rent controls and expanded social housing.
‘The title gets mixed reviews,’ she said. ‘It grabs attention, but a more accurate name would be “Shrink the Private Housing Sector”’. The ultimate goal, Denyer explained, is to empower tenants and create a fairer, more sustainable housing system.
Student Housing and Barriers to Renting
Many of the evenings’ questions focused on the specific challenges faced when trying to secure housing. One student shared that their application had been rejected because their guarantor did not meet income or homeownership requirements. Denyer called this is a clear example of ‘anti-working-class student measures’ and said ‘not every student comes from a family that earns a certain amount,’. She argued that students should be required to provide one of either a guarantor or a deposit- expecting both excludes many from less privileged backgrounds.
Denyer also highlighted the inadequacy of student maintenance loans, which she said do not reflect the true living cost of Bristol. The government ‘simply pick a figure and stick with it’, and she would like policymakers to reconsider how this figure is calculated.
When asked whether Bristol's growing student population contributes to the housing crisis, Denyer acknowledged that the student density can cause problems in some areas. ‘It can be a problem because students aren't here all year’. This affects local businesses and can create imbalances in neighbourhoods, such as increased rubbish, straining the government resources as students do not contribute council tax. Nonetheless she argued that Ideally communities should have a ‘fairly even balance of people from different backgrounds’.
Rebecca Le Jeune
Yasmin Hussain
As to whether Bristol will become more affordable in the future, Denyer was cautiously optimistic. ‘It is not something that can happen overnight,’ she said, but she hopes that with the right approach such as rent freezes or even reductions a meaningful difference could be made.
Support and Resources
Denyer concluded the session directing students to organisations that can help with housing issues, including Shelter and Acorn. She also encouraged anyone struggling to contact their local MP if problems persist. To achieve fairer housing, Denyer’s message to students was clear: speak up, seek support, and push for fairer housing.
Featured Image: Epigram / Anna Dodd
How have you dealt with housing problems as a student?
