Bath and North East Somerset has emerged as one of the least affordable places to rent in England outside of London. Last year, the average private rent in the area accounted for 42.7% of the median household income, making it the second highest proportion in England and Wales, behind only Bristol at 44.6%.
Following Bath and Bristol, Brighton is the next least affordable area, where rent consumes 42.5% of typical household income. Other challenging areas include Sevenoaks (42.0%) and Trafford (41.3%).
The affordability of renting in Bath has worsened compared to the previous year when rents made up 37.8% of household income. However, this remains roughly consistent with 2016 figures, when rent was 42.8% of income.
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Elsewhere in Somerset, affordability varies. In North Somerset, rent represented 30.0% of household income last year, up from 26.7% the year before. In Somerset as a whole, rent accounted for 27.1%, an increase from 23.3%.
Across England, renting has become less affordable compared to the previous year, with average rent costs rising from 33.1% of household income. In contrast, Wales and Northern Ireland have seen slight improvements, with affordability ratios decreasing since last year.
Looking back to 2015/16, there has been some overall progress in affordability. At that time, private rents consumed 39.4% of average household incomes in England, 31.5% in Wales, and 25.6% in Northern Ireland.
Despite these broader trends, many major cities have experienced worsening rental affordability over the past nine years. Cities such as Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, and Leicester now face higher rent burdens on households compared to 2015.
Ben Twomey, Chief Executive of Generation Rent, highlighted the growing strain on renters: “Renters are being crushed under the weight of high, unaffordable rents. For families across the country, this means they struggle to save for the future or must make difficult choices between essentials like food or falling into debt.
“With rents soaring in our largest cities, government action is urgently needed. Metro mayors should be empowered to implement measures that can halt the relentless rise in rental costs.”