My daughter being similarly ripped off in Wales, not far from Bristol. Landlords insisted on a "Bond" from the kids, when they'd already paid the money needed up front to reserve the property. This was all prior to any contract, which did not appear until the week they moved in.
Since then they've had builders in whilst the kids are in residence, fixing things the kids complained about. One of those builders sounds like he was very ill, with tuberculosis or something. My daughter came down with an illness that put her out for the first week of uni, she could not attend.
This has to end, it is completely unsustainable.
I say it is all systemically linked to the global energy problem.
I write a lot about as a long practicing Systems Engineer. There is a fix, but it is radical, involving issue of solar indexed stimulus, to kickstart Widespread domestic and community solar hydrogen ecology which is fully sustainable, and unlimited.
With that we will have a different world, but imagining Sunak announcing something like this, is beyond me.
I can't see Sturmer understanding it either.
I think the government might have to collapse first, who knows.