The private rental sector in England alone has to deal with more than £470m worth of rent arrears in a year.

Propoly has analysed the latest available government data on rent arrears in England and found that in the year 2024-25, an estimated 210,163 rented households fell into arrears.

The average amount of arrears across the year stood at £2,238, which means the nation’s annual total arrears came to an estimated £470.3m.

Renters in London alone created the largest amount of arrears at £109.5m for the year, while the North West also broke the £100m mark with a total of £103.1m. 

This is followed by the South East (£61m), West Midlands (£58.1m), and Yorkshire & Humber (£38m).

The South West accounted for the smallest proportion of national arrears at just under £14m.

Of the 210,163 English households that fell into arrears in 2024-25, the largest proportion were located in London, with the capital accounting for 23.3% of the national total.

The North West placed a close second with 21.9% of the national total, followed by the South East (13%), West Midlands (12.4%), and Yorkshire & Humber (8.1%).

The South West accounted for the smallest number of households with just 3% of England’s total.

Propoly chief executive Sim Sekhon says:“It underlines just how exposed landlords can be when tenant finances come under pressure.”