THOUSANDS of renters in the South West are too scared of being evicted to ask their private landlord to fix a problem in their home, according to research released by Shelter.

A YouGov poll of more than 4,500 private renters across the country found that 1 in 12 renters (8%) in the South West avoided asking their landlord to repair a problem or improve conditions in the last year because they feared eviction.

Shockingly, 1 in 33 (3%) of private renters said they had actually been evicted or served with an eviction notice because they complained to their landlord, letting agent or council about a problem that wasn't their responsibility.