A Young Person’s Experience of Private Renting in Bristol 

Charlie is a pseudonym, used to protect the young person’s privacy. 

For many young people, accessing safe and stable housing is not just about affordability. It is about feeling secure, understood, and given a fair opportunity. Charlie’s anonymous account highlights the experience of trying to access private rented accommodation in Bristol. 

Background 

Charlie is 21 years old and has experienced significant relational trauma during childhood. As a result, shared or communal living environments can feel unsafe and overwhelming. Being around people who may be unpredictable can trigger extreme anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional distress. 

Because of this, Charlie has not felt able to access emergency accommodation or shared supported housing, even where eligible. Private renting feels like the only viable option for a safe, independent living environment. 

Charlie is confident in practical independent living skills and is financially able to afford rent, bills, and everyday living costs. Despite this, securing private rented accommodation has been extremely challenging. 

Affordability and Benefits 

Charlie has found that many landlords prefer tenants with regular employment or dual incomes and are reluctant to rent to single people in receipt of benefits, even where rent and bills are clearly affordable. 

Delays between notifying Universal Credit of housing costs and receiving payments have further complicated applications. Although these delays are temporary, they create uncertainty that can deter landlords, and Charlie has found it difficult to explain this in a way that reassures them. 

Rental History & Lack of Guarantors 

As a young, first-time renter, Charlie does not have an established rental history or credit record. Many landlords require evidence of previous tenancies or strong credit histories, creating an additional barrier despite a responsible attitude and financial reliability. 

Being estranged from family has created further challenges. Without a family member who can act as a guarantor, and with limited access to people who can provide formal references, the pool of landlords willing to consider Charlie’s application is significantly reduced. 

Landlord Bias and Stigma 

Charlie has experienced clear preferences from landlords for certain tenant profiles, such as couples, young professionals, or people in what are considered “stable” jobs, categories that many young people at the start of their careers do not fit into. 

Charlie has also described feeling stigmatised because of age, benefit status, and being a single applicant: 

“I have been told by many landlords that they will always choose to rent to couples, young professionals, or people in ‘stable’ jobs, which young people just starting their careers are unlikely to have. I’ve also been told that I’m too ‘high risk’ because I’m single, on benefits and young. I feel stigmatised for being young and people assume I am irresponsible when actually, I feel that because of having to look after myself from a young age I am more responsible than a lot of people older than me.” 

Confidence and Navigating the Rental Process 

As a first-time renter, Charlie lacks experience navigating the private rental process. There is uncertainty around how to approach landlords, what to say during viewings, or how to present confidently as a responsible and reliable tenant. 

This lack of confidence is further impacted by mental health challenges and by having to look for accommodation earlier than many peers who are able to remain living at home. Charlie feels that age and anxiety can be misinterpreted by landlords as an inability to manage a tenancy, despite this not being the case. 

Impact 

These overlapping barriers, trauma, estrangement from family, reliance on benefits, lack of rental history, and structural and attitudinal biases within the private rental sector, have resulted in prolonged housing insecurity, increased stress, and isolation. 

Private renting remains the only viable option for stable housing, yet the process is highly competitive and often inaccessible without advocacy and support. 

Why This Matters 

Charlie’s experience highlights how young people can face significant barriers in the private rental sector, even when they are ready, able, and motivated to live independently. Safe, stable housing is a foundation for wellbeing, recovery, and future opportunities. 

Listening to young people’s lived experiences is essential to understanding the realities they face and the support needed to help them access secure and appropriate housing.