Wrexham rental market overwhelmed

Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and his business partner Rob Mcelhenney have done much to put Wrexham on the map after purchasing its historic soccer club. But now the “Rob and Ryan” effect is being blamed for a rental crisis in the Welsh city as landlords pivot to serve the growing and lucrative tourist trade driven by the TV series Welcome to Wrexham, which charts the return to glory of its historic club, Wrexham A.F.C. The Hollywood stars are behind a “huge decrease” in affordable rentals because of visitor demand, the Wrexham Leader reported. Spurred on by the club’s on-field success — it has secured backto-back promotions in England’s soccer pyramid since the show began — fans have been travelling to Wrexham in ever-greater numbers. Property owners on Airbnb are using Reynolds’s image to promote $150-a-night rentals to vacationers from as far away as Brazil and Australia, the Daily Telegraph said. “It’s what I refer to as the Rob and Ryan effect,” said Tracey Hague, housing executive at Wrexham council. “We’re finding a lot of private landlords are moving away from offering properties in the private renting sector and turning them into Airbnbs, because they can get more money.” But David Bithell, deputy leader of the council, said: “In the past few short years we have gone from being an oftentimes overlooked area of north Wales to an international tourist destination. We’ve all known that Wrexham is special, and now the world is also finding out this — the true Rob and Ryan effect.” Reynolds, star of Deadpool, and American writer and actor Mcelhenny, creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, bought Wrexham A.F.C. in November 2020.