A tenant group, Generation Rent, claims that rents have increased by 1,200% since the 1988 Housing Act. Their analysis suggests that if food costs had risen at the same pace, a ten-item supermarket shop would now be more than five times today's price.
Figures from Generation Rent's 'cost of renting receipt' indicate that the average monthly rent in England has reached £1,442, which is around 13 times higher than in 1988. The group highlights that if everyday groceries had followed this trend, a standard ten-item shop would cost £117.13 today, compared to £22.67 currently and £9.01 in 1988.
Holly Williamson, chief executive of Generation Rent, stated that "High rents are backbreaking for renters across the country." She added that this can lead to children going to school hungry, families being stuck in temporary accommodation, or older renters having to choose between heating and eating. The group is urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government to implement a limit on rent increases.
Darren Baxter, principal policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, commented that "Unaffordable private rents aren’t a given." He described them as a symptom of a housing system that prioritises private profit over affordable homes, with successive governments failing to address the issue. Baxter also called for the government to introduce rent controls to help private renters rebuild their financial safety nets.
According to Generation Rent, private renters in England allocate over 36% of their income to rent, a figure that reportedly rises to more than 40% in many major cities.