Family in 'dire situation' due to Cornwall housing market

Caroline Wade said she was not sure if her family could stay in Cornwall

A family fears they will have to leave Cornwall due to the demand for housing.

Caroline and Dean Wade, who have been given four months to leave their rental home after living there for 12 years, say they face a "dire situation" trying to find a new one.

The couple, who have 11-month-old twins, said it was a "crazy" situation.

Cornwall councillors said they were due to lay out plans in September for more affordable homes to rent or buy.

Mrs Wade said: "I rang a letting agent ... and they said they had 200 applicants for one property that day."

She added: "Dean has lived here for over 40 years, I've been here 16. But we're not seeing how we can stay in Cornwall. We don't see how we can afford to."

'Exceptional pressures'

Cornwall is believed to be under pressure because of factors including urban flight - with workers moving out of cities to towns and villages, the Resolution Foundation think tank said in April.

The stamp duty holiday, due to end on 30 June, is also believed to have seen properties bought and taken out of the rental market.

Katie Law, of estate agents Millerson, said potential renters had been "offering to pay, sometimes £300 or £400 more a month to be able to secure a property".

She said: "Some people are asking to pay six months and 12 months' rent in advance; and some people would say: 'Please put me to the top of the chain. How much can I give you?'"

Cornwall Council said earlier this year it faced "exceptional pressures" on housing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Olly Monk, council cabinet member for housing, said the authority was looking at providing "hundreds of beds" by the end of summer by using park homes and cabins, but the crisis needed to be tackled in Westminster.

He said: "We need to look at ways that we can work with our MPs to put forward a package of measures that we think will make a difference, and make a representation at Parliament."