What's it like to rent in England's most expensive city?
What's it like to rent in England's most expensive city?
Fri, June 26, 2026 at 5:35 AM UTC
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Hannah Wallace-Burns says more than half her teaching income goes on renting a one-bed flat in Bristol
Gathering furniture, shaping a home and building a future – for many, renting is meant to be the first step on the property ladder
But in Bristol, now England's least affordable city for renters, that reality is increasingly out of reach.
Tenants in the city spend on average 45% of their wages on rent, more than anywhere else in England, leaving many struggling to cover basics, let alone plan for the future.
For Hannah Wallace-Burns, 30, the cost dominates almost every part of her life: "It's work, come home, sleep, work, come home, sleep."
"I can't be social, I can't go on holidays, I can't have many extroverted hobbies, per se," she said.
"I can't go to things like the gym. I can't afford a dentist, so if I were to have a massive issue with my teeth I can't get it resolved."
Settling down 'not feasible'
Hannah rents a one-bedroom flat in south Bristol with her two cats, preferring her own space to a house share.
But that independence comes at a price. She has stopped paying into her pension to afford day-to-day living.
"That extra £200 a month can then go towards nicer things so I can shop at M&S rather than Aldi.
"It doesn't go towards any luxuries, I'm not living it up. It's just having more options, more choice," she said.
She said the long-term impact of spending so much weighs heavy on her.
"I'm going to be 31 in September. I can't even think about things like children, or finding a way to settle down - with a partner or without a partner - because there's no feasibility with being able to afford anything."
Ruth Day from the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign wants rent control reintroduced in Britain.
Rising rents in Bristol have prompted renewed calls for stronger protections for tenants.
Ruth Day, from the Bristol Fair Renting Campaign, said the scale of the problem is clear.
"I was surprised that [rents] were higher than London because you hear how bad their housing crisis is, but I wasn't surprised at how high it was," she said.
"We see it everyday that renters are being priced out of their homes.
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"Renters are struggling to make ends meet, and it is just really shocking how much landlords are taking from us, just for a need for us to get a roof over our head."
She is calling on Bristol City Council and the government to introduce rent controls.
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Will rent controls work?
But not everyone agrees that caps on rent would improve the situation.
Ben Giles, founder of The Balloon Letting Company in Westbury-on-Trym, said limiting rents could reduce supply.
"Renters obviously would want that, but I think it's a balance because there needs to be an incentive for landlords to invest in property," he added.
"Landlords often take the brunt, among a lot of the public for being profiteering, but the reality is that government aren't hitting their social housing targets, and they haven't done for such a long time, that there is a need for landlords whether we want them or not.
"Bringing in rent controls that make it not financially viable; it's not going to help tenants, certainly not in the short-term anyway, because if we take even more stock away from the market, the rents are going to go up even higher unfortunately."
Ben Giles from The Bristol Balloon Letting Company says 12% of landlords have left the market since the Renter's Rights Bill was introduced'My whole life is here'
For others, leaving Bristol for cheaper rents is not a simple solution.
Emily Edwards, 27, shares a two-bedroom flat in Southville with a friend, spending 40% of her wages on her half of their £1,300 a month rent.
She said the situation made her really sad and "angry".
"My landlord doesn't have a mortgage, and the amount of money that we've given him in the two years we've lived there, it's enough for a deposit on a house."
Emily Edwards says the high cost of renting makes her sad and angry
Both Hannah and Emily have considered moving out of the city where rents can be cheaper- but say the personal cost would be too high.
"My whole life and my community and all my friends are here; my job, my partner and everyone that I know and rely on is here," said Emily.
"It would impact my mental health so much not being able to go out and see my friends regularly and it doesn't really feel like an option. Also, moving's really expensive."
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Source: “AOL Money”
