Bristol student accommodation at crisis point, letting agent warns

The state of student accommodation in Bristol for students starting this academic year is at "crisis point", a letting agent has warned.

Ben Giles, founder of Balloon Lets, said there were hundreds of student tenants who had nowhere to live.

Mr Giles believes the housing market is as bad as it was in 2019.

Accommodation waiting lists at the University of the West of England (UWE) have more than doubled compared to this time last year.

In 2021, UWE had 150 students waiting to be housed, while it now has 485 students on its accommodation waiting list.

A spokesperson said: "Due to a high volume of applications received for on-campus accommodation immediately after places were made available on 10 June, our on-campus rooms quickly became oversubscribed."

The large amount of students who deferred last year because of the pandemic has created "the perfect storm" for student housing, according to Mr Giles.

In addition to the lack of university accommodation, Mr Giles said private rents had increased dramatically over the last five years, from £400 per person per room, to about £700.

As a result the current rental market in the city has left some students with no choice but to reject their offer, move back in with their parents or commute to university.

India Pascoal-Lawrence, 21, had to reject her place on a unique Volcanology Masters at the University of Bristol.

Ms Pascoal-Lawrence said she had dreamt of studying volcanoes from a young age, but due to high rents in Bristol she had to give up her place.

"The fact that I've got a place but I can't afford to go because there's no accommodation, or it's too expensive, is so disheartening," she said.

Jack Hughes, will be studying robotics this year at UWE.

Despite beginning his search for a house in May, Mr Hughes has decided to commute from his parents' house in Yatton.

The 24-year-old said he was disappointed with the quality of the houses on offer for the price they were going at.

He explained: "There was a place for about £600 [a month] and one of the bedrooms was a converted utility room with a sink in one corner and a front door with a letter box."

Pippa Barclay, from Salisbury, has two daughters going to Bristol this September.

She said she had found looking for accommodation incredibly stressful, adding that the university had provided little help.

"It doesn't make the transition to university for kids any easier," she said.

A spokesperson for the University of Bristol said it did not have any students on its accommodation waiting list.

"Any students who are still looking for somewhere to live should get in touch with our Student Accommodation team, who can support with finding the best option for them," they said.

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