Frome’s private rental prices are rising along with the rest of the country’s rents but the pull to live in Frome is stronger than from some of its neighbouring towns. Fair Housing for Frome formed to tackle Frome’s housing issues, like people being priced out of the area and homelessness. Frome could be seen as a victim of its own success because its popularity and the knock-on demand for properties here is no doubt partly linked to the vibrant enterprise of its residents.
This is bad news for existing renters who face huge rent hikes if they want to move from their current place to somewhere else in the town that might be larger, warmer or in better repair. The stress of living in an unsuitable home or not feeling secure can have poor effects on mental health and it’s unlikely that a renter in that situation would report problems that needed repair or complain about unfair treatment. Renters’ frustration with landlords is therefore understandable but blaming them for everything might not be useful or correct.
We need the renters’ viewpoint to be able to improve the renting experience for all parties and we can leave the blame-game to social media commenters.
Landlords are mostly viewed as a single group of people and sometimes not in a favourable light, but there are different approaches to letting out your property. At our Frome Renting Alliance meetings, we have met many landlords who have come to hear from our guest experts about best practice and fair treatment of tenants. The Alliance was set up to make renting better in Frome by bringing renters, landlords and agents together to meet, talk and learn from experts and from each other.
Sadly, very few renters have taken us up on the offer of free help and a chance to meet people with similar issues. This is understandable when money is tight and time is short; there are just too many other problems that take priority. But could it be a reluctance to meet with landlords who are often painted as money hoarders rather than housing providers?
We can’t start to solve problems when a crucial piece of the jigsaw is missing. We need the renters’ viewpoint to be able to improve the renting experience for all parties and we can leave the blame-game to social media commenters. Our email inbox shows there are renters who are experiencing problems with their tenancy because the rules are complicated or they don’t know where to go for help, and we would love them to benefit from these kinds of forums.
If polarised views on renting are preventing people from seeking help, we need to change the conversation.