By Madeline Richards, Second Year, History
Just a month into the first term of this academic year, most students across the University of Bristol will take on the task of finding somewhere to live. However, the student housing market is currently in crisis, filled with spiralling rent prices, student overpopulation, and a shortage of accommodation.
New data from the Bristol Student Union’s 2024 report finds that 37 per cent of students in Bristol experience a ‘significant negative impact’ on them and their mental health because of housing costs. In 2014, 75 per cent of students were paying under £395 per calendar month for their student house. 10 years on, only four per cent of students are paying below £500.
Soaring market prices and low availability of housing options are hard-hitting and widespread problems but remain more prominent amongst students from a lower socio-economic background. A student speaking to the Bristol SU describes the house-hunting process as ‘classist and inaccessible’, exacerbated not only by the monthly financial commitment but by the hefty deposit that is usually required to secure a property. Such a monetised and precarious process can leave students feeling stretched thin. Many feel that they are forced into a scramble, feeling pressured to accept any housing option available – often at any price – just to have somewhere to live. These fraught conditions, as outlined in the SU’s report, hit students from lower economic backgrounds the hardest.
To gain a better insight into the current landscape of student housing in Bristol, Epigram spoke to lettings agent, Brad, from Bristol Student Lets and a current Bristol University student tenant in her second year, Mia Turner.
Brad describes his company as ‘a small, independent, family-run business’ that has been aiming to provide good-quality housing for Bristol students for ‘20 odd years.’
When asked about the increasing student rent costs, Brad explains that the letting agency ‘will give the landlord what we believe to be a fair market rate based on the area and quality of the property. [At Bristol Student Lets] we consider ourselves to be a moral company and never want to overcharge for an underwhelming property’.
Brad reassures Epigram about the potential risks of limited affordable housing options for less privileged students. He goes on to argue that allowing a landlord to have free rein in setting their rental price with no advice or alignment with market rates would only ‘create an elitist and inaccessible environment’. He continues: ‘This is not how we would want to operate our business or what we believe is right’.
To gain a student perspective, Epigram spoke to second-year student, Mia Turner, about her experience with the rental market in Bristol. Reflecting on the severity of the current housing crisis, Mia remarks that ‘It was more reminiscent of the housing market in London’.
‘You will find somewhere to live!’
She notes how the process is also significantly more time-consuming than she could have imagined: ‘Viewings were difficult to coordinate with other members of my group who I had chosen to live with since we were all busy with different schedules’. Despite this, Mia strongly advises current first years not to rush the process, reassuringly stating that ‘You will find somewhere to live!’
When asked about Labour’s proposal to ban rental bidding wars under the Renters’ Reform Bill, Brad tells Epigram that, as a company, Bristol Student Lets have always responded to ‘rental bidding wars’ by ‘point blank refusing to engage’. He goes on to assert that ‘We have always succeeded in not entertaining offers above the advertised price’. Brad highlights a sense of morality in his agency, stating that the company ‘Do not want to rent properties to those who can afford to just throw money at them’.
When asked about what advice he would offer to students who are looking for somewhere to rent, Brad suggests that before viewing a property students should always know basic facts such as rent rates to assure letting agents about their level of knowledge and seriousness about viewing – and potentially securing – the property.
The central part of Brad’s advice boiled down to simply turning up. He explained that a group with everyone in attendance is far more likely to secure the property than, say, a house of six with only two people present. He stressed that most letting agents are keen to put a face to an email: ‘Try to engage with the person who is showing you around. We like questions and just want to know that we can work with the people’.
In a competitive rental market, many students may be asking themselves: What can I do to make myself stand out at viewings? In response to this, Brad warns against acting out a Mother Teresa persona of overt cleanliness and anti-drinking, urging students to remain true to themselves. ‘It’s funny when we get cover letters from people saying, “We do not drink or smoke or enjoy parties!”, he says. ‘Just be yourself. Everyone is welcome to enjoy themselves in their own home’.
'Skyrocketing' rent, ‘appalling' conditions and ‘classist’: SU releases the 2024 Housing Report
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Upon asking Mia about the impact that student rent has had on her financially, she revealed that her current rent is ‘£2000 more expensive for me than in first-year accommodation’. She further elaborates on the economic implications of rising rent prices, expressing that she ‘cannot see how housing in Bristol at its current rate can be accessible to all students.’
Data from Student Crowd indicates that between 2019 and 2023, the student population grew by 400,000, while the availability of student housing units dropped by 19,000. Despite the presence of landlords and emerging letting agencies like Brad’s, which aim to provide a fairer experience for student renters, the issues of accessibility and affordability remain both prevalent and pressing in Bristol.
Featured Image: Epigram /Reuben Kerbes
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