Since 1987, I have run Adelphi Books, a small second-hand bookshop in Southsea, Hampshire. That is a total of 31 years, during which time I have paid about £100,000 in rent. Every three years there is usually a rent review, which results in an increase. The last one was 5%, from £5,000 a year to £5,250. This year, the proposal is a rise of £2,500, which is almost a 50% increase and far more than I can reasonably manage.

It would have been less of a shock if the landlord’s agents had given me several months warning to make contingency plans and to argue my case, but they didn’t. This treatment seems callous.

I would be grateful for any help and advice you could give as I simply cannot afford the higher rent and would have to find another space, or close down. RS, Southsea

This is a tale of modern Britain – a tenant who has been in residence for more than 30 years but has no protection against a landlord who decides to increase the rent by half, maybe because a few trendy bars have opened up nearby.

I repeatedly approached your landlord (Zionstone), which is ultimately owned by Weybridge-based property developer the Malins Group, for an explanation, but it has refused to talk to me.

To make matters worse, the landlord’s agent demanded the rent increase 10 days after the review date and appears to be applying it retrospectively.

You have said you are happy to pay £5,750 a year, but Malins, which specialises in building £1m-plus apartments in “iconic” London locations, has declined and it looks as though you will have to close your doors. You are just one of Zionstone/Malin’s 600 or so tenants.

Tenants in your shoes can go to arbitration and you should explore this option. That said, this is not really our area of expertise – can anyone else offer some practical advice or help?

This looks like a another case of a small trader being forced out by an area’s mild gentrification, aided by the UK’s outdated property laws.

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