Since March, the average rent in the UK has jumped to £1,283 per month, a 17% increase. This sudden increase is leaving millions of families to choose between their basic needs. In nearby Rutland County, rental prices have tripled in recent years. Consequently, millions of people—especially young adults—have gone back to their parents’ financial lives for help. This small but notable trend speaks volumes about the increasing challenges renters are experiencing nationwide as demand surges and costs continue to escalate.
As rents continue to climb, an increasing number of millennials are staying in their parents’ houses into their late-20s and beyond. Aneisha Beveridge, a housing specialist, places the blame on the current economic climate for young adults. Higher rents have made it impossible for many to move away from their parents’ homes.
Karen, a concerned mother, described her struggles to financially support her son, who was once an expectant father. This is an all too familiar story and soon to be the reality for many more families as the burden of skyrocketing rents continues to compound. Neysa Killeen, a musical theatre performer, echoed these sentiments, stating, “I don’t know anyone who expects to be able to buy a house, it’s just not something we talk about.” Killeen finds it increasingly difficult to stay independent in the rental market. The increasing expenses have made her start thinking about relocating.
In Belfast, it’s an especially grave story. Average rents increased by a meteoric 11.6% in the one-year period ending in April of 2025. New locations like Wigan, Carlisle, Motherwell, Chester and Blackburn have all experienced annual rent hikes of 8% or more since this time last year. Blackburn was the most successful, jumping by 10%. In third place was Wigan, with an increase of 9.3% and just after that was Birkenhead (9.1%).
Many city neighborhoods saw little to no increase in rents, and some areas even saw a decrease. Bournemouth experienced the highest adjustment increase at a meager 0.9% with Nottingham and Bristol even lower at 0.5% and 0.4%. Leeds fell by 1.5%, and Dundee has reported a decrease of 2.7%. This gap highlights how the rental crisis has affected areas of the UK so differently.
As Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, recently pointed out, this was a pretty big deal. Increasingly, parents are having to agree to be guarantors on their children’s tenancies as rental prices surge. He stressed the extreme competition for rental units. This fight is compounded for many lower-income renters, who often encounter hefty fees when attempting to move.
Rental prices have increased rapidly, however the rate of growth for the price of new tenancies has dropped off markedly. It fell by half from 6.4% a year ago to only 2.8% for the year ending last April. For most Americans such as Neysa Killeen, national moderation hardly calms their bottom line affordability fears in the short term. Killeen remarked on her career challenges due to financial pressures: “I’ve been able to do fringe shows but now I’m looking at having to move to somewhere else because realistically I won’t be able to keep up with the rent, and that’s the second time this will have happened to me and I’m 26.”
The skyrocketing cost of living and soaring mortgage rates have made these issues even worse for renters. Over the last three years, many of these homeowners have been dismayed by climbing interest rates. These hikes have led to a shock average monthly repayment rise of £218 since three years ago. This fiscal pressure goes beyond future homebuyers—it affects those who depend on rental housing.
Local resident Stefania Calhoun said she was fed up with the current state of affordable housing. “I’m not looking for an extravagant house, I’m not looking to live above my means. I just want a cozy house and to invest in something that’s mine and leave a legacy for the kids,” she stated. Her journey captures what millions of Americans face as they pursue their dream home. For many of them, that’s a heavy lift indeed—with skyrocketing rents posing a huge barrier.
Our continued fight for affordable housing has been making demands on public officials to act more publicly. A statement from a housing expert highlighted the need for measures that would increase the supply of affordable rented homes: “This is a large and important group of private renters who still face strong competition for rented property. For lower income people, it can be especially challenging to make the jump to a new residence. This constant fight has resulted in increasing rents through the roof.