Rental Health

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

All Work and No Homes

20230327

20230330 (R4)

Communities in the Scottish Highlands are facing a housing crisis so bad, it's been described as a clearance for the 21st century. According to the Convenor of the Highland Council, Bill Lobban, `the species most under threat in the Cairngorms National Park isn't the Capercaillie but the young family trying to find a home`. Ironically one key cause of the problem is also what brings most into the local economy - tourism. Across the region the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry is driving the demand for 2nd homes and many houses are now used for short-term holiday lets, with the result that very little accommodation remains for locals searching for somewhere to live, what does remain is usually unaffordable or unsuitable. The knock-on effect is that businesses across the Highlands are struggling to find staff and even when they manage to find them, they often lose them because there's no rental accommodation locally. A sector which has been particularly hard hit is hospitality where low wages exacerbate the issue with the result that hotels and restaurants find themselves in the unenviable position of having plenty of customers but not enough staff to serve them.

Often, the only way many businesses can secure staff is if they provide accommodation but that's not always suitable for long term employees and skilled staff who might have young families plus not all businesses can afford to buy or manage housing for their staff.

It's not just the hospitality sector either which is suffering, the salmon farming industry is being hit hard too and its not just low paid workers, all professions are being priced out of the housing market by too many people chasing too few properties.

In Rental Health: All Work No Homes Pennie Stuart heads first to the northwest Highland village of Ullapool to hear how the business community is responding to the unintended consequences of the tourism boom while further south in Aviemore, in the heart of the Cairngorms national park, she hears about the radical solutions being proposed to bring staff, homes and tourism back into some kind of balance.

Produced by Dan Holland
Presented by Pennie Stuart

Highland businesses can\u2019t find staff due to the rent crisis, Pennie Stuart asks why.

An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.

Produced by Dan Holland
Presented by Pennie Stuart

Highland businesses can\u2019t find staff due to the rent crisis, Pennie Stuart asks why.

An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.

Hunt for a Home

20230327

As tenants desperately try and secure their application for a home, competition is fierce - often dozens of people vying for a single property. With landlords selling up, and mortgages increasingly unattainable, finding somewhere is tough. Who's coming for a viewing, why are they looking right now, and what's causing this imbalance in supply and demand? Rima Ahmed of BBC Radio Leeds hears from tenants, landlords and estate agents in her city and beyond as they give us a snapshot of a housing market out of balance. They tell their stories of what life is like in a housing market that has changed beyond recognition in a short space of time.

What's life really like in the rental market?

An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.

Hunt For A Home

20230327

20230329 (R4)

What's life really like in the rental market?

An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.

The New Nomads

20230206

20230326 (R4)
20230327 (R4)

The roads and byways of the British Isles are home to a new generation of travellers. Alongside the traditional Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities there's a booming sub-culture of van dwellers who prefer the open road to bricks and mortar.

For some it's a lifestyle choice. They spend the summer moving from festival to festival, picking up casual jobs as they go. They celebrate their light touch on the planet and those who can afford it take the snowbird route for the winter, heading south through Spain. For increasing numbers, however, there's less glamour in 'van life'. Rapidly rising rents force them into vehicles and a long, cold winter searching for welcoming roadside stops with toilets and taps.

Travel writer and broadcaster, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent has spent many months living out of her own battered VW van. She understands the fantasy and the practical difficulties. In the New Nomads she hears about both sides of van life and discovers new challenges on the horizon. For many travellers- traditional and new- the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022 feels specifically designed to make their lives as difficult as possible. It creates a new offence of `residing on land without consent in or with a vehicle` and makes it easier for the police to remove unauthorised encampments.

Fresh ideas are helping the increasing number of van dwellers. In Bristol, brownfield areas are being turned into temporary spaces for vans and caravans. The residents are happy with these cheap and cheerful campsites but demand far outstrips supply. Unless more affordable homes are built it seems inevitable that more and more young people will have little choice but the open road.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

As property rents spiral, life on the road is attracting a new generation.

An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
All Work and No Homes	20230327	20230330 (R4)	Communities in the Scottish Highlands are facing a housing crisis so bad, it's been described as a clearance for the 21st century. According to the Convenor of the Highland Council, Bill Lobban, `the species most under threat in the Cairngorms National Park isn't the Capercaillie but the young family trying to find a home`. Ironically one key cause of the problem is also what brings most into the local economy - tourism. Across the region the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry is driving the demand for 2nd homes and many houses are now used for short-term holiday lets, with the result that very little accommodation remains for locals searching for somewhere to live, what does remain is usually unaffordable or unsuitable. The knock-on effect is that businesses across the Highlands are struggling to find staff and even when they manage to find them, they often lose them because there's no rental accommodation locally. A sector which has been particularly hard hit is hospitality where low wages exacerbate the issue with the result that hotels and restaurants find themselves in the unenviable position of having plenty of customers but not enough staff to serve them. Often, the only way many businesses can secure staff is if they provide accommodation but that's not always suitable for long term employees and skilled staff who might have young families plus not all businesses can afford to buy or manage housing for their staff. It's not just the hospitality sector either which is suffering, the salmon farming industry is being hit hard too and its not just low paid workers, all professions are being priced out of the housing market by too many people chasing too few properties. In Rental Health: All Work No Homes Pennie Stuart heads first to the northwest Highland village of Ullapool to hear how the business community is responding to the unintended consequences of the tourism boom while further south in Aviemore, in the heart of the Cairngorms national park, she hears about the radical solutions being proposed to bring staff, homes and tourism back into some kind of balance. Produced by Dan Holland Presented by Pennie Stuart Highland businesses can\u2019t find staff due to the rent crisis, Pennie Stuart asks why. An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK. Communities in the Scottish Highlands are facing a housing crisis so bad, it's been described as a clearance for the 21st century. According to the Convenor of the Highland Council, Bill Lobban, `the species most under threat in the Cairngorms National Park isn't the Capercaillie but the young family trying to find a home`. Ironically one key cause of the problem is also what brings most into the local economy - tourism. Across the region the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry is driving the demand for 2nd homes and many houses are now used for short-term holiday lets, with the result that very little accommodation remains for locals searching for somewhere to live, what does remain is usually unaffordable or unsuitable. The knock-on effect is that businesses across the Highlands are struggling to find staff and even when they manage to find them, they often lose them because there's no rental accommodation locally. A sector which has been particularly hard hit is hospitality where low wages exacerbate the issue with the result that hotels and restaurants find themselves in the unenviable position of having plenty of customers but not enough staff to serve them. Often, the only way many businesses can secure staff is if they provide accommodation but that's not always suitable for long term employees and skilled staff who might have young families plus not all businesses can afford to buy or manage housing for their staff. It's not just the hospitality sector either which is suffering, the salmon farming industry is being hit hard too and its not just low paid workers, all professions are being priced out of the housing market by too many people chasing too few properties. In Rental Health: All Work No Homes Pennie Stuart heads first to the northwest Highland village of Ullapool to hear how the business community is responding to the unintended consequences of the tourism boom while further south in Aviemore, in the heart of the Cairngorms national park, she hears about the radical solutions being proposed to bring staff, homes and tourism back into some kind of balance. Produced by Dan Holland Presented by Pennie Stuart Highland businesses can\u2019t find staff due to the rent crisis, Pennie Stuart asks why. An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.
Hunt for a Home	20230327		As tenants desperately try and secure their application for a home, competition is fierce - often dozens of people vying for a single property. With landlords selling up, and mortgages increasingly unattainable, finding somewhere is tough. Who's coming for a viewing, why are they looking right now, and what's causing this imbalance in supply and demand? Rima Ahmed of BBC Radio Leeds hears from tenants, landlords and estate agents in her city and beyond as they give us a snapshot of a housing market out of balance. They tell their stories of what life is like in a housing market that has changed beyond recognition in a short space of time. What's life really like in the rental market? An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.
Hunt For A Home	20230327	20230329 (R4)	As tenants desperately try and secure their application for a home, competition is fierce - often dozens of people vying for a single property. With landlords selling up, and mortgages increasingly unattainable, finding somewhere is tough. Who's coming for a viewing, why are they looking right now, and what's causing this imbalance in supply and demand? Rima Ahmed of BBC Radio Leeds hears from tenants, landlords and estate agents in her city and beyond as they give us a snapshot of a housing market out of balance. They tell their stories of what life is like in a housing market that has changed beyond recognition in a short space of time. What's life really like in the rental market? An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.
The New Nomads	20230206	20230326 (R4) 20230327 (R4)	The roads and byways of the British Isles are home to a new generation of travellers. Alongside the traditional Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities there's a booming sub-culture of van dwellers who prefer the open road to bricks and mortar. For some it's a lifestyle choice. They spend the summer moving from festival to festival, picking up casual jobs as they go. They celebrate their light touch on the planet and those who can afford it take the snowbird route for the winter, heading south through Spain. For increasing numbers, however, there's less glamour in 'van life'. Rapidly rising rents force them into vehicles and a long, cold winter searching for welcoming roadside stops with toilets and taps. Travel writer and broadcaster, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent has spent many months living out of her own battered VW van. She understands the fantasy and the practical difficulties. In the New Nomads she hears about both sides of van life and discovers new challenges on the horizon. For many travellers- traditional and new- the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022 feels specifically designed to make their lives as difficult as possible. It creates a new offence of `residing on land without consent in or with a vehicle` and makes it easier for the police to remove unauthorised encampments. Fresh ideas are helping the increasing number of van dwellers. In Bristol, brownfield areas are being turned into temporary spaces for vans and caravans. The residents are happy with these cheap and cheerful campsites but demand far outstrips supply. Unless more affordable homes are built it seems inevitable that more and more young people will have little choice but the open road. Producer: Alasdair Cross As property rents spiral, life on the road is attracting a new generation. An in-depth look at rented housing in the UK.