Reading renters describe woes finding affordable properties

Reading's proximity to London has made it an increasingly popular place to live

Finding a place to rent in Reading has never been easy. That might come as a surprise given the number of new properties going up in the Berkshire town. But its close links to London mean it can make things pricey.

Misa Havelkova, a renter who has moved into a place on her own, said: "It gets quite expensive.

"I think house sharing would make more sense when it comes to money but I wanted my own space."

She described how one-bed flats were out of her price range but that finding suitable studio accommodation was also challenging.

Tenant Lewis Crook said he has had to find new flatmates to ensure he was not left "on the hook" for his shared property's rent

Her colleague Lewis Crook explained that even if people are happy to live in shared accommodation, things can still be difficult.

He said: "I found a three-bed flat which worked really well but the tenants kept changing and the way that agreement worked meant the landlord was not very involved.

"So I had to actually find other tenants to replace the ones who were moving out, which often became quite stressful because I felt like I was on the hook for the whole rent of the flat."

Changes in tax allowances, increased mortgage rates and other factors have led to an unprecedented squeeze, according to some letting businesses.

Peter Fuller, lettings director at Haslams, said: "We're seeing more of a shortage of properties.

"Tenants are staying longer in the same properties and new properties to the market have reduced - at the same time, demand has gone up, so we're seeing people competing for properties on an unprecedented level."

Precious Omogiate said she has previously had to live in rented accommodation with mould problems

Tenants like university student Precious Omogiate have been caught in that squeeze.

Now in her final year, she has at last found somewhere affordable and acceptable - but that has not always been the case.

"My first place was essentially unsuitable to live in," she said.

"Mould riddled the place and when we kept complaining to the landlord to fix it because it was becoming a health issue, they would just put us off further and further."

Reading has met its housing targets but the council would say developers often want to build flats rather than family homes - but across the board finding anywhere affordable to rent remains tough.