People looking for homes to rent are having a hard time because prices are going up. In big cities, like London, people who want to rent a house or apartment sometimes offer to pay more money than the owner is asking. This can lead to paying a lot more and still having problems with the place, like things that need to be fixed or bugs. In the last five years, over 500,000 people in England couldn't get a place to live because someone else offered more money.

Some people are trying to stop these bidding wars where renters have to offer more money. A group in Bristol called Acorn wants real estate agents to promise not to do this. They know about people who had to borrow money just to pay for a place to live. The Labour Party, a big political group, wants to make bidding wars illegal, like they did in New Zealand.

A group that represents people who own rental homes says that not having enough homes is the real problem. They think if there were more homes, prices wouldn't be so high and people wouldn't have to bid. But renters and people fighting for them say the government needs to help make renting more affordable and secure. The government is working on new rules for renting, but they haven't decided to stop bidding wars yet.

Original news source: Renting: Bidding wars driving up prices for tenants (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. They can work individually or in pairs. Afterwards, have a class discussion to compare and discuss their summaries.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on individual pieces of paper and put them in a bag or hat. Divide the students into pairs or small groups. One student from each group picks a word from the bag and has to draw it while their group members try to guess the word. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to argue in favor of bidding wars and the other group to argue against them. Give each group a few minutes to brainstorm their arguments, and then have them take turns presenting their points to the class. Encourage students to use evidence from the article to support their arguments.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students think about and write down their own opinions on bidding wars in the rental market. Then, pair them up with a partner and have them discuss their opinions. After a few minutes, bring the class back together and have a few students share their opinions with the whole class.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and have them imagine what the rental market will be like in the future. They should discuss and make predictions about whether bidding wars will still exist and what other changes might occur. After a few minutes, have each group share their predictions with the class. Encourage them to use vocabulary and concepts from the article in their discussions.

People looking for homes to rent are having a hard time because prices are going up. In big cities, like ?, people who want to rent a ? or apartment sometimes offer to pay more ? than the owner is asking. This can lead to paying a lot more and still having problems with the place, like things that need to be ? or bugs. In the ? five years, over 500,000 people in England couldn't get a place to live because someone else offered more money. Some people are trying to stop these bidding wars where renters have to offer more money. A group in ? called Acorn wants real estate agents to promise not to do this. They know about people who had to borrow money just to pay for a place to live. The Labour Party, a big political group, wants to make bidding wars illegal, like they did in New ?. A group that represents people who own rental homes says that not having ? homes is the ? problem. They think if there were more homes, ? wouldn't be so high and people wouldn't have to bid. But renters and people fighting for them say the government needs to help make ? more affordable and secure. The government is working on new ? for renting, but they haven't decided to stop bidding wars yet.

1. What is a bidding war? Why do you think people have to offer more money?
2. Have you ever had to borrow money for something? How did it make you feel?
3. How would you feel if you couldn't find a place to live?
4. Do you think it's fair for people to offer more money to rent a house? Why or why not?
5. What do you think the government should do to make renting more affordable?
6. Do you think there should be more homes available for rent? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the people who own rental homes feel about bidding wars?
8. Have you ever had problems with a place you were renting? What were they?
9. Do you think it's a good idea for real estate agents to promise not to have bidding wars? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the government can help make renting more secure?
11. Do you like the idea of bidding wars being illegal? Why or why not?
12. What would you do if you couldn't find a place to live?

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