Howsy’s Lonely-Hearts Rentals Index – Forget Love Island, here’s where to rent for the best chance of finding love and affordability

June 14, 2019

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.”

Top 25 – Ranking based on percentage of singles vs rent
 
Location
% of Singles
Average Monthly Rent
Ratio score of rent cost per singles percentage
Hull
42.1%
£421
9.99
Liverpool
49.7%
£499
10.04
Blaenau Gwent
34.2%
£413
12.07
Rhondda Cynon Taff
33.9%
£420
12.38
Middlesbrough
39.4%
£490
12.42
Ceredigion
38.7%
£481
12.42
Lincoln
44.0%
£552
12.55
Nottingham
51.3%
£670
13.05
Gwynedd
36.4%å
£476
13.07
Preston
40.9%
£545
13.31
Stoke-on-Trent
36.0%
£483
13.40
Merthyr Tydfil
35.3%
£474
13.43
Hartlepool
34.4%
£464
13.49
Burnley
33.4%
£453
13.55
North East Lincolnshire
33.1%
£460
13.90
Neath Port Talbot
31.2%
£436
13.96
Leicester
41.5%
£585
14.10
Norwich
46.9%
£665
14.18
Hyndburn
33.0%
£471
14.29
Rochdale
35.1%
£503
14.31
Knowsley
40.3%
£581
14.40
Dundee City
43.2%
£623
14.44
Doncaster
32.2%
£469
14.57
Wolverhampton
37.1%
£542
14.61
Blackpool
35.3%
£519
14.70

 

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