Renting a property in London has become really competitive, with tenants bidding against each other and driving up prices. One guy named Chris had to pay Β£100 more than the advertised rent just to get a flat. But even though he paid so much, the place had problems like mushrooms growing in the bathroom and rats everywhere. This bidding war thing has been happening for a while, but now it's affecting more people like Chris. A charity called Shelter did a survey and found out that over half a million renters in England missed out on a place to live because someone else offered more money.
Because there are so many people looking for places to rent, the prices are going up because of these bidding wars. In Bristol, a group called Acorn is trying to stop this because it's making it hard for people to afford rent. Some tenants are scared to speak up because they think it might make it harder for them to find a place in the future. The Labour Party in the UK wants to ban bidding wars, like New Zealand and some places in Australia have done.
A guy named Ben Beadle from the National Residential Landlords Association says that bidding wars happen, but the real problem is that there aren't enough houses to rent. He thinks that banning bidding wars won't fix the problem and that we should focus on things like the cost of living going up and high mortgage rates. The government says that how much rent you pay is up to the landlord and tenant. They're working on a bill to make renting fairer and more secure.
So basically, bidding wars in the rental market are happening a lot and making it more expensive for tenants. This means that many people miss out on places to live because someone else offers more money. Lots of people want to rent places, so they have to bid against each other to get a place. Some people think this is bad for tenants and want to ban bidding wars. Others think we should focus on fixing the housing supply problem.
Original news source: Renting: Bidding wars driving up prices for tenants (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group a different section of the article.
3. In their groups, students must read their assigned section and summarize the key points in a news summary.
4. Each group will then present their summary to the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: "Do you think bidding wars should be banned in the rental market?"
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. In their pairs, students will discuss their opinion on the question and come up with at least three reasons to support their opinion.
4. After the discussion, students will poll the rest of the class to see how many people agree or disagree with their opinion.
5. Finally, students will report back to the class and share the results of their poll.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g. renting, bidding war, affordable, landlord, tenant).
2. Divide the class into small groups.
3. One student from each group will come to the front of the class and choose a word from the list.
4. Without speaking, the student must draw a picture on the board to represent the word while their group tries to guess what it is.
5. The first group to correctly guess the word gets a point.
6. Repeat the process with a new student from each group and a new word until all the words have been used.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Write the following prompt on the board: "What are some possible solutions to the problem of bidding wars in the rental market?"
2. Give students a few minutes to think individually about their ideas.
3. Pair students up and have them discuss their ideas with their partner.
4. After the discussion, bring the class together and have pairs share their ideas with the whole group.
5. Facilitate a class discussion to further explore and evaluate the different solutions proposed.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group a different topic related to the article (e.g. bidding wars, affordable housing, government intervention).
3. In their groups, students will brainstorm and list the pros and cons of their assigned topic.
4. Each group will then present their list to the class, explaining their reasoning behind each point.
5. Facilitate a class discussion to compare and contrast the different perspectives presented.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Renting prices in London are going up because there are so many people looking for places to rent. This creates a competitive market where tenants bid against each other, driving up the prices.
Chris had to pay more than the advertised rent because there were other people interested in the same flat. In order to secure the flat, he had to offer more money than the advertised price.
Even though Chris paid more for the flat, it had problems like mushrooms growing in the bathroom and rats everywhere.
According to the survey, over half a million renters in England missed out on a place to live because someone else offered more money.
The group Acorn is trying to stop bidding wars in Bristol. They believe that these bidding wars make it hard for people to afford rent.
Some tenants are scared to speak up about bidding wars because they fear it might make it harder for them to find a place to rent in the future. They worry that landlords might not choose them if they are seen as troublemakers.
Ben Beadle believes that the real problem with the rental market is the lack of available houses to rent. He thinks that banning bidding wars won't fix the problem and that the focus should be on addressing the housing supply issue.
The government is working on a bill to make renting fairer and more secure. They are aiming to address issues such as high rental prices and lack of security for tenants.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Renting a property in London has really , with tenants bidding against each other and driving up prices. One guy named Chris had to pay Β£100 more than the advertised rent just to get a flat. But even though he paid so much, the place had problems like mushrooms growing in the bathroom and rats everywhere. This bidding war thing has been happening for a while, but now it's more people like Chris. A charity Shelter did a survey and found out that over half a million renters in England missed out on a place to live because someone else more . Because there are so many people looking for places to rent, the prices are going up because of these bidding wars. In Bristol, a group called Acorn is trying to stop this because it's making it hard for people to afford rent. Some tenants are scared to speak up because they think it might make it for them to find a place in the future. The Party in the UK wants to ban bidding wars, like New and some places in Australia have done. A guy named Ben Beadle from the National Landlords Association says that bidding wars happen, but the real problem is that there aren't enough houses to rent. He thinks that banning bidding wars won't fix the problem and that we should focus on things like the cost of living up and high mortgage rates. The government says that how much rent you pay is up to the and tenant. They're working on a bill to make fairer and more secure. So basically, bidding wars in the rental market are happening a lot and making it more expensive for tenants. This means that many miss out on to live because someone else more money. Lots of people want to rent places, so they have to bid against each other to get a place. Some people think this is bad for tenants and want to ban bidding wars. Others think we should focus on fixing the housing supply problem.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a bidding war in the rental market?
2. How would you feel if you had to pay more money than the advertised rent to get a place to live?
3. Do you think it's fair for tenants to have to bid against each other for a rental property? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever experienced or heard of bidding wars happening in your country?
5. What problems can arise when there are bidding wars for rental properties?
6. Do you think it's a good idea for the Labour Party to ban bidding wars? Why or why not?
7. How do you think banning bidding wars would affect the rental market?
8. Do you agree with Ben Beadle that the real problem is the lack of available rental houses? Why or why not?
9. How do you think high mortgage rates contribute to the rental market problem?
10. Do you think the government should have more control over how much rent landlords can charge? Why or why not?
11. What are some ways the government could make renting fairer and more secure?
12. How do you think the housing supply problem could be fixed?
13. Do you think the rental market problem is unique to London, or is it a problem in other cities as well?
14. How would you feel if you missed out on a place to live because someone else offered more money?
15. What are some potential solutions to the rental market problem besides banning bidding wars?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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