News / Housing
South West leads country with highest rise in private rental costs
The South West has seen the highest increase in rent prices in England, with the region’s rental costs soaring by 35 per cent from 2015 to 2024.
In Bristol the impact of the cost is clearly evident, as people paid 44.6 per cent of their income on rent in 2024, with the average rent costing £1,513 a month.
The data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) singled Bristol out as well above the 30 per cent deemed “affordable” by the ONS with the city staying above the 30 per cent marker since 2016.
The South West comes in second to London as the most costly region in the UK for renters – image: Office for National Statistics
To give some perspective, in England and Wales two-thirds of local authorities had an average rent that was below the affordability threshold in 2024, similar to the previous year.
While rent is increasing in most places across the country, regions like the East Midlands that are deemed to have the most affordable rent have also seen a sharp rise over the same time period at 34 per cent.
London has seen the least increase compared to 2015 at 19 per cent, consistently maintaining its title as the most unaffordable place to live in the UK since 2015.
While renters may seem trapped into giving away their earnings, the price to own a home in Bristol is also exorbitantly high.
The average house price in Bristol is £57,500 higher than the England and Wales average of £282,500 and the highest of all the Core Cities.
According to Housing Matters, the waiting list for social housing has hit a record high of 21,500 households. Home Choice Bristol puts the overall wait time for housing at almost two years, leaving many people in limbo.
494,400 people currently live in Bristol, with many residents getting priced out – photo: Hannah Massoudi
A spokesperson from homelessness charity Caring in Bristol said that the ONS figures underline housing insecurity as being a problem caused by the system, and not individuals experiencing it.
They said: “We’ve seen a rising number of situations where unaffordable rents push people closer to homelessness.
“It’s been increasingly important for us to go out into the community and find people who are facing these challenges.
“Our prevention work aims to equip people with information, advice, and support to stop this happening.
“A home is a basic right, and we still don’t have adequate controls to stop people being threatened by unsustainable living situations.
“Homelessness and housing insecurity are not inevitable, so we need better systems that protect individuals from the pressures that are beyond their control, and not of their causing.”
Main photo: Hannah Massoudi
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