Howsy’s Lonely-Hearts Rentals Index – Forget Love Island, here’s where to rent for the best chance of finding love and affordability
Innovative lettings management platform, Howsy, has looked at where across the UK offers the most affordable rental prices in relation to the percentage of singles for tenants looking for a long-term roommate.
Howsy looked at the percentage of singles and the average monthly rent across the UK ranking each area based on the ratio of rent paid per percent of single people in a given area.
The lower the score the better, highlighting the most affordable rental markets with the biggest abundance of singles.
Top of the table was Hull where the average monthly rent is £421 and 42.1% of people are classed as single. Therefore Hull scored a singles affordability score of 9.99 making it the most affordable location to rent in the UK with the greatest chance of finding love.
Liverpool is the next best bet with a score of 10.04, with a higher rate of singles (49.7%) but a slightly higher cost of rent at £499 a month on average.
Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taff fly the flag for lonely-hearts in Wales, scoring 12.07 and 12.38 respectively.
Middlesbrough (12.42), Ceredigion (12.42), Lincoln (12.55), Nottingham (13.05), Gwynedd (13.07) and Preston (13.31) complete the top 10 most affordable locations for renters looking for love.
Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:
“Hull may not be the first place that springs to mind when you consider the UK’s most romantic hotspots but as this research demonstrates, it certainly provides the best bet for those looking to rent at an affordable rate while searching for love.
Of course, one way to get around the affordability issues of the UK rental market is to share the cost with someone else, so these areas also offer the best chance at achieving this goal and increasing your property rental potential or your disposable income.”
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Top 25 – Ranking based on percentage of singles vs rent
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Location
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% of Singles
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Average Monthly Rent
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Ratio score of rent cost per singles percentage
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Hull
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42.1%
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£421
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9.99
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Liverpool
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49.7%
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£499
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10.04
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Blaenau Gwent
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34.2%
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£413
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12.07
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Rhondda Cynon Taff
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33.9%
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£420
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12.38
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Middlesbrough
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39.4%
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£490
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12.42
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Ceredigion
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38.7%
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£481
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12.42
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Lincoln
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44.0%
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£552
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12.55
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Nottingham
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51.3%
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£670
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13.05
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Gwynedd
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36.4%å
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£476
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13.07
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Preston
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40.9%
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£545
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13.31
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Stoke-on-Trent
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36.0%
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£483
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13.40
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Merthyr Tydfil
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35.3%
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£474
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13.43
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Hartlepool
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34.4%
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£464
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13.49
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Burnley
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33.4%
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£453
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13.55
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North East Lincolnshire
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33.1%
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£460
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13.90
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Neath Port Talbot
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31.2%
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£436
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13.96
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Leicester
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41.5%
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£585
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14.10
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Norwich
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46.9%
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£665
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14.18
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Hyndburn
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33.0%
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£471
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14.29
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Rochdale
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35.1%
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£503
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14.31
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Knowsley
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40.3%
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£581
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14.40
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Dundee City
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43.2%
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£623
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14.44
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Doncaster
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32.2%
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£469
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14.57
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Wolverhampton
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37.1%
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£542
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14.61
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Blackpool
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35.3%
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£519
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14.70
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