Calls for rent controls amid spiralling cost crisis

That is the view of city councillor Jamie Osborn who fears that out-of-control costs will lead to landlords hiking rents and leave people homeless.

"Everyone needs somewhere to live," the Mancroft ward Green councillor said.

"With social housing waiting lists being so long, it can take people years to get a social housing place - if they ever do.

"Their only option is to privately rent and that is a poverty premium.

"If you're poor you're forced to rent, which in time is more expensive than buying your own house.

"You're more likely to be forced into whatever you can get - likely to be poor quality, further away from where you work or with not so good transport links and far from decent, affordable shops with healthy food.

"Everything costs more when you're renting."

He added that more needs to be done to protect those on lower incomes and those entering the property market for the first time, and to ensure what properties are on the market are in a fairer price range.

"We're calling for rent controls," Mr Osborn added. "It's not something we can do locally as far as I know, it has to involve national legislation.

"With rents going up far far quicker than average incomes - especially for young people - it's absolutely essential that there's a cap on rents.

"If not they'll keep going up and become even more attractive to buy-to-let landlords - which also puts pressure on people wanting to buy a house.

"It has a real knock-on effect."

Rent controls are legal measures which set rent levels or limit the level of increase. This can be through capping rent, capping increases to rent or temporarily freezing rent.

"It needs to be done in conjunction and consultation with landlords," Mr Osborn explained.

"What we don't want to happen is for anything to be done as a single-handed measure that's going to damage smaller landlords. For them that's their savings and their pension.

"We need to work together so everyone benefits.

"Norwich is one of the places where rents have gone up highest in the country. Nationally it's around 13pc.

"Certainly for some young people, lots will be spending 40-50pc of their income on rent or more. And it will probably never go below that.

"It's frustrating that people are paying through the nose for somewhere to live but its often of very poor-quality.

"People are paying extortionate amounts to live in properties that are not fit to live in."

Phil Cooper, lettings partner at Arnolds Keys, said the increase in property value has encouraged landlords to sell up and exit the rental market - making fewer properties available and driving up rent prices.

Phil Cooper, Arnolds Keys (Image: Archant)

He said: "Rents are also going up because landlords are covering incurred charges and keeping up with demand.

"Landlords are not always greedy, they're reacting to the market.

"By and large landlords are reasonable in the levels of rents they charge.

"I think government controls of rents would be a blow for both sides.

"It's very difficult because the root problem is a lack of supply.

"It's an old market condition of supply and demand. Rents rise because properties are few and far between.

"We have had instances where tenants have offered to pay more to secure a property because of what supply is out there."

He added there has been a shift in renting attitudes, where now the majority of assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) are 12 months where six month ASTs were the norm.

"Tenants can quite reasonably approach the agent or landlord to secure something long term - say 18 months to two years - and in doing that they can secure the rent increase arrangement," he added.

‘Landlord put the rent up by a third’

For everyone who is renting there is a constant anxiety about whether the landlord is going to put the bill up, writes Harry Torrance.

And with the cost of everything else going through the roof the concern is growing.

Rent prices have gone from barely affordable to simply insurmountable.

When I began renting in September 2021 with five other young people the rent was already audaciously high. Just to meet the rent my housemates and I had to undertake extra part time jobs.

Our situation was hardly helped by the remarkable recent rise in utility bills.

I have friends in similar situations who have been forced to make the impossible choice between eating and heating in the winter.

At my last place the landlord informed us that if we were to extend our lease for another year the rent would increase by a third.

We didn’t want to pay that so had to go back into the market and now I pay more than I did before for a smaller place.