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Rents reach highest-ever level relative to earnings, driven by lack of housing supply
Average UK monthly private rents rose 3.5% to £1,374 in the year to February 2026, reaching a record 36.1% of earnings due to housing supply shortages.
- On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics released figures showing average UK house prices increased by 1.3% to £268,000 in the 12 months to January 2026.
- Data from the ONS confirms average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5% to £1,374 in the 12 months to February 2026, outpacing many tenants' earnings growth.
- The long-term decline of social housing remains a primary factor, with the sector shrinking from 31% of all households in 1981 to just 17% today, fueling competition for private tenancies.
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Rents reach highest-ever level relative to earnings, driven by lack of housing supply
The 2026 UK Housing Review has found that the UK now has around 1.6 million fewer affordable social homes than in 1981. This has increased competition for private tenancies and driven an "affordability crisis".
·United Kingdom
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House price growth eases and rents hold steady: ONS
House price growth has slowed in the 12 months to January 2026, while private rents remained unchanged in the year to February 2026, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ONS provisional estimates are that average UK monthly private rents… The post House price growth eases and rents hold steady: ONS appeared first on Mortgage Finance Gazette.
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Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
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- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
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C 50%
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