One in five UK tenants are now spending over half their take-home salary on rent

A new report has revealed where in the UK people are spending the most and least on their rent

One in five UK tenants (19.3%) are now spending at least half their take home salary on their rent, according to the latest rental affordability index from tenant and landlord services provider Canopy.

The index analyses data from over 46,000 individual, employed UK renters, revealing that the majority of UK tenants are at the very limit of what experts believe is ‘affordable’.

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The Canopy experts advise that spending around 30% of income on rent is typically considered affordable, while 40% is at the very boundaries of what many can manage.

UK tenants are facing high rents.placeholder image
UK tenants are facing high rents.

On average, across the UK tenants are spending just over a third (35.7%) of their net income on rent – which is above the recommended level.

A worrying one in 20 tenants (4.4%) even spend over 80% of their income on their share of the rent.

The UK city with the highest rent to income ratio is Bournemouth, with the average tenant spending 46.9% of their salary on rent.

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Tenants in Brighton (46.3%) and London (44.3%) also spend a large portion of their salary on rent.

Edinburgh also features in the top five list of the most unaffordable cities for renters.

Within the top ten, the only city in the north of England was Manchester.

UK cities where residents spend the highest percentage of their take-home income on rent

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  1. Bournemouth (46.9%)
  2. Brighton (46.3%)
  3. London (46.3%)
  4. Bristol (41%)
  5. Edinburgh (40.6%)

The north east of England boasts the most affordable cities for renters, with Sunderland and Newcastle both sitting in the top three list.

Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast was also named as a more affordable location, taking second place in the table.

UK cities where residents spend the lowest percentage of their take-home income on rent

  1. Sunderland (32.8%)
  2. Belfast (33.1%)
  3. Newcastle (33.7%)
  4. Hull (34%)
  5. Derby (35.2%)

Chris Hutchinson, CEO at Canopy, commented: “The average tenant in the UK is now spending over a third of their take-home pay on their share of the rent; in many areas of the UK the average rises higher than 40%. It is sobering to see that some tenants are even spending 80% of their salary on rent.

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“Considering these numbers don’t include essentials like groceries, commuting costs and utilities bills, the figures raise serious questions on how feasible saving for a mortgage is for the majority of tenants in this country.

“What is clear is that the market is in a precarious position, in that steps clearly need to be taken to make life easier for tenants, yet further regulation is likely to drive landlords away from the market and leave a smaller pool of properties available for tenants to choose from.”

For further information about the report, please visit: https://www.canopy.rent/rental-affordability-index/q2-2024

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