London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Growing share of under-30s pay unaffordable rent

Growing share of under-30s pay unaffordable rent

People under 30 are facing a brewing cost-of-living crisis, new figures shared with the BBC suggest.

A growing share of young renters are signing new contracts that exceed 30% of their pay, according to the data - a five-year high.

Housing groups say spending more than 30% of pay on rent is unaffordable.

While London has the highest rents, affordability has worsened in towns such as Rotherham and Bolton for young people since the pandemic.

The data suggests under-30s spend more of their earnings on rent than other working age groups. The figures cover 150,000 young people and were supplied by property market consultancy Dataloft.

Megan Stephens and Richard Stranks, from London, had their rent put up from half their wages to two-thirds of them.

"We were not expecting such a big increase… that was the real punch in the gut," said Mr Stranks.

Amid rapidly rising rents and a fall in real incomes, younger people's finances are being squeezed.


Under-30s are less likely to have dependents and are sometimes more willing to move around, so could feel able to pay higher rents, experts told the BBC.

But Nick Gallent, a professor of housing and planning at University College London, warned that young people being locked into expensive renting now could cause future problems, as "their lives evolve but they need to live with instability and insecurity".

Young renters faced a difficult winter, he said, amid rising inflation and energy bills, describing the situation as "horrendous".

"Despite all the economic problems, house prices and rents continue to nudge upwards," he said.


How do places compare?


In one in six local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland for which there was enough data, the majority of young renters were spending more than 30% of their earnings on their housing, according to analysis of Dataloft figures for the year to the end of June.


The least affordable areas for young people are concentrated in London. However, many of the places where rent affordability has dropped the most since the Covid pandemic are in towns like Rotherham, Bolton, Salford, Walsall and Dudley.


What is driving up rents?


Elton Papri, a lettings manager at a Dudley-based branch of estate agent Shipways, said under 30s were "struggling at the moment" as there were not enough homes on the market.

Renters were being pushed to offer over the asking price as people were bidding more than the listed price just to secure a property.

"They shouldn't be offering £100 more if they cannot meet that requirement, but then if they don't they are going to miss out on that property so it's a hard situation," said Mr Papri.

Lettings manager Elton Papri, 30, found it difficult to find somewhere to rent for himself


The trade body for estate agents, Propertymark, said rents were increasing due to fewer houses being on the market.

This was because many landlords have decided to sell properties because of rising taxes, charges and maintenance costs, it said.

Danisha Kazi, senior economist at research and campaign group Positive Money, said underlying structural features in the market were also to blame.

"Supply shortage is not a good enough explanation because it's a long-term trend - rent as a proportion of income has been rising since the 1980s for all age groups, with younger cohorts particularly hit hard," she said.

She said housing policy reforms since the 1980s, including an end to rent controls, making evictions easier and the introduction of Right-to-Buy, had significantly shifted the balance of power from tenants to landlords.

"We also don't have alternatives and people are heavily dependent on the private rental sector, which has doubled in size since the early 2000s," she said.


Move out


London couple Ms Stephens and Mr Stranks decided to move out of their house-share last June, as they felt like they had no alternative.

"My income did grow a little bit, but not by as much as the landlord increased the price," said Ms Stephens.

The couple have now found cheaper accommodation as property guardians of a former local authority office block in Newham, east London.

They may have to move out with a month's notice, but they said the move was an easy decision.

"It means that I can save, and that's a big thing for me" says Ms Stephens.

Housing campaigners Generation Rent warned the situation for younger renters was "dire" and called for the government to freeze rents and pause evictions.

The Ministry of Housing said it recognised people were facing cost-of-living pressures and that paying rent was likely to be a tenant's biggest monthly expense.

"That is why we have taken action through our £37bn support package to help households with rising costs," it said.

The government also said that its plans announced in June would provide renters with a "fairer deal".

The proposals would ban landlords from evicting tenants in England without giving them a reason, and give renters more power to challenge unjustified rent increases and poor conditions.


More about the data


The analysis of renters under 30 years old for the year to the end of June 2022 is based on records from 150,000 tenants collected by major tenant referencing companies and aggregated by Dataloft.

It excludes income outliers, including those earning less than £10,000 because they are likely to be supported by other sources of income or by guarantors.

Across all the age groups, Dataloft has data for over 400,000 records for the year to the end of June and estimates it covers 40% of the rental market in England, Scotland and Wales.

Many housing organisations regard spending more than 30% of gross income to be unaffordable and the Office for National Statistics has also used the benchmark in its affordability analysis.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×