‘Greedy’ Bristol landlord defends £1,020-a-month rent for tiny studio flat

A Bristol property landlord has defended charging more than £1,000 a month for a tiny studio flat in Southville. The part-furnished first-floor flat above a shop on North Street is described on Rightmove as ‘totally self-contained’ and has its own bathroom.

Suitable for one person or a couple, it has a small kitchen/dining area, which is only separated from the living/bed area by a wardrobe. The rent is £1,020 per month, a figure that has provoked a strong reaction on local Facebook groups in Southville and Bedminster.

One local resident said: “Disgusting landlord jumping on the bandwagon as it’s Southville.” One person simply said: “It’s called greed.”

“It’s ridiculous - how are people supposed to live if rental on such a tiny bedsit is so much,” commented another BS3 resident.

But the unnamed landlord has defended the £1,020 monthly charge and also the comments of locals.

When contacted by Bristol World, the landlord said: “I’m not here to comment one way or another on the price of any property as individuals will always have and express their own opinions on any given subject, whether it is good, bad or otherwise.

“I am offering the property to rent and anyone has a simple binary choice of to either accept the rent for the property (providing criteria is met) or reject it and find alternative accommodation.”

The listing comes as Zoopla rental index for 2023 revealed an increase in the cost of renting across the city. In Bristol, the median rent per month for new lets, of all sizes, was £1,336 - up from £1,078 three years before.

The rise is impacting many people as the 2021 census of England and Wales showed that 26.2% of households in the city were renting privately, up from 23.5% in 2011.

Last month, we told the story of a tenant disputing an 8% rent increase in Bedminster. Community union ACORN, which supports tenants facing hikes in rents across the city, wants rent controls which for up to 30% of household income.