A business owner has spoken of Bristol's "devastating" rental market after struggling for six months to find somewhere to move to. Lara King, originally from Nailsea, has been renting in and around Easton for the last ten years.
Like many who find themselves stuck in the private rental housing market, she has moved from place to place over the years. Now with her own successful business on Fishponds Road, she said her current financial position is better than it has ever been - but finding a place to rent reasonably close to her Eastville natural hair salon feels impossible.
Since June, Lara, whose son attends the local nursery, has been searching for properties and putting adverts on local Facebook and Whatsapp groups, hoping a private landlord might see and offer her family somewhere to live. Lara believes herself to be in a fortunate situation with her family-of-three - she said although they are living with damp and mould in their current rental, she is not facing immediate eviction so has more time to look for somewhere else than most renters.
