An influencer says she and her mum are being forced to move after their landlord bumped up the rent - by hundreds of pounds.

Podcaster and creator Paige Lewin, 31, took to social media to tell her 20k followers that she and her mum, Patricia, 60, are being priced out of their flat.

After moving into the two-bedroom property in Docklands, East London, in 2022, Paige says she was originally paying £2,087 a month for rent.

In 2023, her landlord upped this to to £2,179, which she said was "expensive" but she had managed to get by. "

However, a few weeks ago the creator says she received an email stating her rent would now be increased to a whopping £2,466 - with only two months before her tenancy runs out.

She said: "When I got the email, I was horrified. You know when your stomach just falls out. I just did not expect it. I wanted to cry. "

"It just felt like it ruined Christmas. I am a bit disgusted that they sent it now. "

"Trying to get people to go out and find a new home in December is cruel. "

"It is the hardest time and the tightest time with money."

"I could see it was only going to keep going up, I just didn't want to be in a position where I am always terrified that I won't be able to stay where I live. "

"It is upsetting because I honestly love this place so much, I really don't want to leave. But I don't have a choice, I just can't afford that. "

"It is ridiculous, this is the first time in my life I am leaving a property, and it is not my choice. It is just so wrong."

Paige, who is originally from Bristol, said she was very surprised her landlord increased the rent as she considers herself a "really good tenant" who always pays on time. "

She has since been searching for a property just outside of London, which she says has been an extremely stressful and pricey process.

For one viewing, the creator says she had to fork out £60 for a taxi as there were issues with the trains.

Luckily, she has now found a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Romford which is two storeys and has a "genuinely large" garden. "

The new property will only be costing £1,850 and has a lot more space than her old flat - which the family must move out of by January 31.

Paige says it has "worked out for the best" in the end but feels she should never have had to move in the first place."

She said: "The commute to London is doable, but it feels unnecessary. I am comfortable in my home. It is a real uprooting of my comfort. "

"Thank God I found somewhere as soon as I did. It is very rare to find a property in a couple of weeks. If I was still looking for a place I would be screwed. "

"It feels really greedy. "

"I refuse to let these people stress me out over Christmas. I am trying to see it as a beautiful new chapter. My mum was the one who made me optimistic, I was furious."

Paige - who has her own podcast on hair texture called Texture Talks - says she believes landlords "take advantage" of tenant's lack of legal knowledge. "

She says the property owners are aware their tenants won't have the energy, time, or insight to fight them on rent increases so hope they will just pay it.

She added: "A lot of us don't have the time, energy, and money to go the legal route. "

"If we could afford the lawyer fees to fight it we would probably just have stayed in the property. "

"They have the upper hand because of the lack of awareness around these laws. "

"A lot of us are tired and stressed and we have other things going on- that's how they win."