The data highlights mounting financial pressure on tenants and growing policy tensions for landlords, who face rising mortgage costs, shifting regulations, and political scrutiny.
The affordability gap is stark across UK nations. In Wales, the average rent-to-income ratio stands at 25.9%, while Northern Ireland fares slightly better at 25.3%.
London remains the most unaffordable region, with renters allocating 41.6% of their income to housing—dragging England’s overall average above the threshold despite lower ratios in other regions.
Affordability levels have fluctuated since 2016, but England has consistently remained above the 30% mark, underscoring persistent structural challenges in the private rental sector.
An association of landlords is warning its members that many tenants and landlords are at times not being able to help solve the money affordability problems as only can be sorted by supply. A spokesperson for the associations said:” “Affordability has tightened throughout the UK due to several factors, including rising mortgage rates, increased living costs, and stagnant wage growth in some regions. With the average rental price now sitting at £1,344 across the UK, a renter would need a salary of around £40,320 just to qualify to rent a home at this price.
“Ongoing regulatory and financial pressures on landlords are driving many out of the market, especially when there is such a pressing need for housing. Investment from reliable and professional landlords is essential, as the private rental sector is instrumental in providing housing for the nation.”
This warning reflect longstanding concerns raised by7 a landlords association, which maintains that rising rents are not merely opportunistic increases but a consequence of shrinking rental supply. The association points to escalating mortgage costs and anticipated reforms—such as the Renters’ Rights Bill—as key pressures driving landlords to adjust pricing.
Renters are really feeling the pinch. In Bristol among the priciest cities outside London tenants routinely spend upwards of 40% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads, a marketing manager in the city said: “I’ve had the same two-bed flat for six years, but last year my rent went up by £150 a month” and also said a marketing: “If my landlord hadn’t agreed to stagger the increase, I’d have had to move.”
Despite widespread affordability concerns, the ONS reports that roughly two-thirds of local authorities across England and Wales—around 217 in total—still maintain average rents below the 30% income threshold.
However, pockets of acute unaffordability persist, concentrated in London and its commuter belt, including towns like Sevenoaks and Watford, as well as high-demand regional centres such as Bath and Brighton.