Private rent in Britain now swallows 44% of the average wage

27th October 2025

Monthly cost jumps to record £1,385 outside London, and £2,736 in the capital, with hotspots showing hefty rises.

Average private rents in Great Britain have climbed to record highs, with the amount tenants are being asked to pay in some hotspots rising more than 25% in a year, data shows.

The typical advertised private rent outside London for properties coming on to the market rose to a record £1,385 a calendar month in the third quarter of this year, according to the property website Rightmove.

The average London rent reached a new high of £2,736.

The site said it was the third consecutive quarterly record for advertised rents this year, adding that affordability for would-be tenants "remains very stretched". Despite average earnings rising by 5% compared with last year, the cost of renting was swallowing up 44% of the average wage - up from 40% five years ago.

Read the full Guardian article HERE