Rents skyrocket in North of England as UK average stabilises

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Rents skyrocket in North of England as UK average stabilises

Despite rents stabilising across the UK, some areas are seeing prices skyrocket, prompting calls for increased housing supply to tackle rising rents.

A report by SpareRoom reveals the steepest average rent increases were recorded in towns and cities across northern England, the Midlands and Scotland.

The report reveals that the UK average rent continued to stabilise, rising just 0.5% year on year, while London saw a slight fall of 0.9% and is now £985 per month.

However, the flat-share website warns only significant decreases will make a real difference for households spending 40–50% of their income on rent.

Too many renters are at breaking point

Matt Hutchinson, director at flatshare site SpareRoom, said: “Those navigating the market today will tell you affordable accommodation is scarce and only meaningful decreases would make life easier, so the fact rents are stabilising is far from a silver lining.

“In terms of affordability, too many renters are at breaking point, spending half their income on rent.

“The high cost of living is pushing people into traditionally more affordable areas and away from major cities, which of course means these areas won’t be affordable for much longer.

“A laser-focus on boosting supply to the rental market is our best way out of the housing crisis.”

North of England sees rent rises

According to a report by SpareRoom, almost half of the most popular towns and cities among flatsharers that saw rents increase by more than 5% year-on-year in Q4 are located in the North of England.

West Yorkshire town Keighley, long known for its affordability, is seeing room rents rise 14% year on year, pushing average prices to £600 per month.

In Merseyside, Bootle, historically the cheapest place to rent in the UK, has been overtaken by Lancashire town Burnley, which recorded the highest year-on-year rise nationwide.

Renting a room in Bootle now costs £527 per month on average, up 18% from Q4 2024.

In the Midlands, Stourbridge (+17.7%) and Wolverhampton (+9.6%) are leading the charge on rent increases. Stourbridge’s average room rent now stands at £649 per month, £31 higher than Birmingham, where rents fell 2% year on year to £618. Wolverhampton remains more affordable at £65 below Birmingham’s average.

SpareRoom says all of these towns, however, still offer considerably cheaper rents than Edinburgh (£778) and Glasgow (£690).

Despite Scotland’s average rent dropping slightly in Q4 (-0.2%), some cities are bucking the trend. Perth (+7.4%), Paisley (+5.7%), Livingston (+6.7%) and Kirkcaldy (+6.1%) have all seen notable increases.

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