Average rents in the private sector have become unaffordable for working families in 55% of local authority areas in England.
Shelter says that in most such areas, typical rents are over one-third of take-home pay and 38% of families with children are having to cut down on food in order to meet rental payments.
Tenants in rural areas are worst hit, with Shelter’s research showing that it is now more affordable to rent in Manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham than to rent in north Devon, north Dorset or Herefordshire.
London boroughs are the most expensive, with the average rent for a two-bedroom home at £1,360 – almost two and a half times the average in the rest of the country (£568).
The least affordable local authority area outside London is Oxford, where typical rents account for 55% of average earnings.
Shelter is calling on the Government to take urgent action to stabilise rents and bring them into line with average earnings.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: “With huge differences in affordability across the country, there are now worrying signs that families are likely to be displaced by our out-of-control rental market.
“Over recent years we have seen more and more people forced into renting, as high house prices and a lack of social housing have made it the only option for thousands of ordinary families.
“What we’re seeing now is that renting is no longer the easy, cheap alternative to home ownership.
“We have become depressingly familiar with first-time buyers being priced out of the housing market, but the impact of unaffordable rents is more dramatic.
“With no cheaper alternative, ordinary people are forced to cut their spending on essentials like food and heating, or uproot and move away from jobs, schools and families.
“With rural areas suffering just as much as cities – or in many cases, even less affordable – it’s no longer enough to encourage people to move out of crowded urban areas.
“The Government must urgently consider how private renting can become a stable, affordable option for families, and not a heavy financial burden that makes parents choose between buying food for their children and paying the rent.
“This should be the wake-up call needed to finally take action to address our renting crisis.”
Comments
Sadly, rents are too high in this country and the buy-to-let market is the worst thing ever to happen. Landlords don't care about people, they are only interested in filling their pockets.
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can see that if rents were controlled, the need for benefits would be reduced. Why should the tax payer pay to subsidize fat-cat landlords.
If the government won't control rents, the minimum wage should be increased to a level where people can easily afford to rent from the private sector.
Paying £1,000 a month for rent is just ridiculous. Rents should be capped at £500 per month no matter where the property is. The minimum wage is the same in London as it is anywhere else in the country. Why is no one addressing this problem.
Again, why are the rents so high?? Is the rent proportionate to the landlord's expenses with a fair profit or is it just greediness or is it extortionate mortgage and insurance costs being passed on?
My daughter lost her job and the benefit wouldn't even cover the cost of one small room in a shared house, and that is just plain ridiculous. At aged 25 she haas had to move back to my home and neither of us are too thrilled about that. I am not complaining about the benefit as I think £68 jolly well ought to easily cover one room when Council Tax and utilities are extra on top.
The Governments proposals to ban the letting of properties with an energy rating below band E will exacerbate the problem as those Landlords who are prepared to pay for their properties energy rating to be improved will expect higher rents but many will just give up and sell thereby reducing the pool of cheap rental properties. The idea is sound but the implications have not, as usual, been properly thought out.