Bristol City Council to consult on capping rent hikes

The council is consulting the public about how rent controls might work

A housing commission is exploring how to place a limit on landlords' ability to raise rents.

Bristol City Council and The Living Rent Commission are consulting the public about possible rental controls.

One proposal is to cap increases in rental accommodation in Bristol by inflation or average wage growth.

The government said rental controls in the private sector discouraged investment and did not work. The consultation runs until 29 December.

A report will then be published in early 2023.

The Living Rent Commission was set up in July with members from the council, university, landlords and tenant representatives.

While the council does not have any legal power to introduce rent controls, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said City Hall chiefs were lobbying the government to change the law surrounding rental hikes.

Options include capping rents across the whole of Bristol or just parts of the city, having temporary rent controls or a long term policy, and allowing for one-off increases if the landlord pays to improve their property.

The consultation asks whether controls should aim to stop large rent increases, reduce overall rent levels, or set rent levels related to incomes.

When asked whether the government would consider introducing rent controls, a spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "We understand the cost of living pressures that households are facing, however evidence suggests rent controls in the private rented sector do not work.

"They discourage investment and lead to declining property standards."

Housing crisis

Councillor Tom Renhard, cabinet member for housing, said: "We have more than 19,000 households on our waiting list for social housing, along with over 1,100 households in temporary accommodation.

"The cost of renting in this city is one key cause, alongside the lack of security, that renters have in the private rented sector. This is why we set up the Living Rent Commission."

Mr Renhard said the commission was investigating issues in the private rental sector in Bristol, looking at how they could better respond to the identified challenges.

In the past decade, average rents in Bristol grew by 52%, according to the council, while wages increased 24% in the same period.

It means many tenants are paying a far higher portion of their income straight to their landlord compared to 10 years ago.

Rent increases could be linked to a fixed maximum percentage each year, the general rate of inflation, house price inflation, average wage increases, or the tenant's income.

One-off rent increases could also be permitted when the landlord improves the property, for example when installing a new bathroom or better insulated windows.