Cost of living: 'I never thought I'd be sofa-surfing at 74'

Jennie Taupin has been searching for a new home for months after her landlord sold up

Jennie Taupin never imagined she would be sofa-surfing at the age of 74 after having to leave her home.

She has struggled to find somewhere new after the owner of her rented bungalow in Gnosall, Staffordshire, sold up.

"The search for a home is desperate, it really is," the retired secretary said.

She had been paying £575 in rent but due to inflation and the cost of living, local estate agents said the monthly rental fees in the West Midlands had reached a 14-year high.

Seemingly priced out of the market, Ms Taupin, who left her property last month, has spent the last four searching for a two-bedroom home to rent but without success.

She has taken up a friend's offer of a temporary room in Whitchurch, Shropshire, almost 30 miles away.

"I can't sleep," Ms Taupin said. "It's terrible.

"If I do find a property I like and want to go for it... in the night I'm planning what it will look like, but then of course you might not get it."

She has approached her council and housing associations but, as a single person, she is unlikely to get a two bedroomed-property.

Ms Taupin is widening her search even further to include Cheshire - up to 50 miles from her former home.

But it is not a simple process. Her worldly belongings are being stored in a shipping container 20 miles away, along with her beloved pot plants and 8ft bamboos, but she is relieved she at least has somewhere to sleep - when she can.

"I'm not a serial renter, I have a lot of stuff and that won't help, and some properties are so tiny I can't even get a settee in it," she said.

High inflation and the cost-of-living crisis has forced many landlords to hike their fees.

Almost four in 10 (38%) in the West Midlands said they planned to cut the number of properties they let, the National Residential Landlords Association told the BBC.

Meanwhile, many renters are extending tenancy agreements as they put off buying a home because of relatively high mortgage rates.

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In December, the UK average rent was £1,118 per month which is 11.5% or £120 higher than the same time a year before, according to the Zoopla Rental Survey.

In cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, inner city regeneration and established transport links continue to drive demand for rental properties.

In more rural areas including Gnosall where Ms Taupin used to live, the picture is less clear although larger family homes are said to be particularly in demand.

Lettings agent Charlotte Blount said prices were "soaring" for renters

"Rental prices are absolutely soaring," said Charlotte Blount, from James Laurence Estate and Lettings Agency in Birmingham.

"The prices we are achieving now you wouldn't have imagined two or three years ago and we don't see any signs of it slowing down any time soon."

The letting agency has seen average rents increase from £989 per calendar month in January 2022, to £1,241 this January, yet there is no let-up in demand.

"We are only able to book block viewings with eight to10 people and we're often having to send out virtual tours to at least 60 people," Ms Blount said.

"At the moment, you can't afford to go under the asking price if you're to be in a favourable position with the landlord."

Ms Taupin's search for a new home within her budget continues.

Additional reporting by Bongi Msimanga