It’s no secret that a number of London boroughs are unaffordable to those living there – but outside the capital, the picture for renters is a little more unclear.
New data provided to HuffPost UK shows Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex are among the most unaffordable places to rent in the country, with renters forking out larger portions of their income on rent.
The data for England, Scotland and Wales, which is based on the 12-month period from July 2021 to June 2022, looked at places outside London where the highest median percentage of income is spent on rent.
A spokesperson for property market consultancy Dataloft, which conducted the analysis, said: “It provides a true picture of affordability of actual private renters in an area and is based on individual tenants rather than households.”
Spending 30% (or more) of income on rent is viewed as a threshold where tenants are more likely to be struggling.
The most unaffordable places – where median affordability is at or over 30% – are largely concentrated in London, including Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Brent. But interestingly, Brighton and Hove also makes the list.
The further away from London you travel, the cheaper rent becomes. Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington and Cumbria are among some of the most affordable places for renters, according to the analysis.
The least affordable places (outside London)
Brighton and Hove
East Sussex
West Sussex
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Southend-on-Sea
Essex
Thurrock
Luton
Kent
Hertfordshire
The most affordable places
Carmarthenshire
Stockton-on-Tees
Perth and Kinross
Darlington
Scottish Borders
Inverclyde
East Ayrshire
North Lanarkshire
Cumbria
Falkirk
The under-30s are particularly impacted by unaffordable rent, with four in 10 people in this age group paying more than 30% of their wages on rent, according to a recent BBC news report.
It’s thought this is due to a shortage in rental properties, which is pushing up prices.
Places where tenants are spending more than 30% of income on rent
Kensington and Chelsea
Hammersmith and Fulham
Brent
Enfield
Barking and Dagenham
Havering
Ealing
Harrow
Lambeth
Westminster
Barnet
Croydon
Newham
Brighton and Hove
Bexley
City of London
Redbridge
Wandsworth