I am a mature student, with a job, that rents an awful flat with next to no insulation and can hear everything my neighbours do, which isn't helpful for studying. My partner and I are looking for a new flat to rent together, and we bring in a substantial amount for a young couple, especially considering I am still studying. Recently, we have found that a lot of properties we have been interested to rent have gone to people that offer higher amounts per calendar month than what is stated on the advertisement. Other times, the property has just become the centre of a bidding war, where only the richest of the candidates will win the property, which is absolutely absurd for the working class. The most recent property my partner and I put an offer on, my partner was actually told at the viewing by the estate agent that the person who had just viewed it said he would pay more. It was a lovely property, so this sent us into panic. We grouped all of our savings and finances together, and offered every last penny as our offer, which included an increase of £60 more for rent a month and 4 months in advance. It was everything we had worked so hard for. Two days past, and we had heard nothing, so I decided to call. The estate agent in question didn't really seem to care when he told me that the property had gone to someone who offered a lot more than we did. In that moment, I felt deflated, angry, and just wanted to give up. 

The main reason why I wanted to start this petition was after posting about my most recent experience with regards to trying to rent a flat on my town's community page. A lot of other people have experienced this exact same thing, with some families stuck in extremely small rented accommodation because they cannot afford anything bigger, and more and more people becoming homeless every month. Our town has the issue of a lot of Londoners wanting to move here who have the capability to pay more money for properties that they only want for weekend/holiday homes. In my four years of living here, the average for a decent one-bedroom flat has gone up by around £200-£300 per month, with increases occurring whilst tenants are still living in those properties, causing a lot of people to struggle with buying even everyday essentials to keep a roof over their heads.

THIS NEEDS TO STOP. Estate agents, local governments, and even the UK government need to find a way to prevent properties being rented out to the individual with the most money to drop. Rented accommodation needs a tenancy to be signed indicating the exact amount per month in which the property was initially advertised for. I am aware that landlords need to make a living, but they should stick to their original advertised price and not be greedy when someone who can clearly rent in a much nicer area, or, hell, even buy a house, offers to pay more. The working class, students and families are becoming desperate, and many fear of homelessness everyday. We all want somewhere nice to live, with a bit of money left over afterwards, is that too much to ask?

So, please sign my petition to stop bidding wars and inflated prices on rented accommodation. Let's end this economic equality together, and allow everyone an equal chance of finding their right home.