You may have seen this letter going viral on Twitter:
Since this, there have been several developments, including local and national media coverage and a petition, created by Nathan Williams and hosted by 38 Degrees, that has over 11,500 signatures.
The petition condemns the behaviour of CJ Hole, pointing out how landlords and letting agents are profiting from the housing crisis. Inflation is at a new low and real average earnings have fallen, yet rents are rising across Bristol: the petition demands that the Southville branch stops sending these letters to landlords, encouraging them to charge excessive rents.
The responses on the petition will also be used to get local MPs to support rent controls, more rights for tenants and the building of more affordable homes in Bristol.
As there has been no response from the letting agent, the petition will be delivered on Saturday 11th April at 11am to the office as part of a demo organised in partnership with ACORN, where CJ Hole will be invited to sign the Ethical Lettings Charter.
If you’d like to join the demo, the Facebook event is here. To find out more about ACORN, the local private tenant group in Bristol, please click here. For more information about how to get involved with a local tenant group across the UK, please click here.
