Revealed: the most lucrative shared living postcodes

New research from COHO, the HMO management platform, reveals that the shared living market in England & Wales generates an estimated monthly rental income of £1.4bn. But which postcode areas are creating the most income from shared living?

How much are HMOs making in your postcode? Find out here

COHO has analysed the estimated number of licensed HMO properties in England & Wales*, and the average monthly HMO rental income per room* to calculate the overall value of the shared living market based on an average property having five bedrooms.

The average monthly rent price of a room in a shared living property in England & Wales sits at an estimated £711. For a property with five bedrooms, this equates to a total estimated monthly income of £3,557 per property.

Further analysis shows that there are 394,945 licenced HMOs in England & Wales, which means the sector’s total monthly rental income surpasses £1.4bn.

London’s HMO market alone generates monthly income of £918.4m, followed by the South East (£140.5m), the South West (£106.8m), North West (£60), and Yorkshire & Humber (£56.4).

Where are the most lucrative HMO postcode areas?

With by far the nation’s largest and most lucrative shared living market, it’s no surprise that London dominates when it comes to the list of most valuable postcodes.

At the top of the list is NW1, where 9,681 shared living properties charge an average monthly rent of £1,220 per room, creating a total monthly income of more than £59m.

East London’s E5 postcode is the busiest house share postcode in the country, with an estimated total of more than 12,061 licenced HMOs. At an average monthly rent of £949 per room, E5’s total shared living income sits at more than £57.2m per month.

Other leading London postcodes include SE1 (£42.7m), N15 (£37.3m), IG1 (£36.1m), EN3 (£30m), N17 (£28.5m), and IG3 (£27.6m).

Outside the capital, the most lucrative HMO market is found in Bristol, where the BS16 postcode area houses 6,908 shared living properties combining for a total monthly income of over £25m.

Other leading non-London postcodes include York’s YO10 (£10.6m), Brighton’s BN2 (£8.7m), Bath’s BA2 (£8.5m), Cardiff’s CF24 (£8.2m), Oxford’s OX4 (£6.8m), Leeds’ LS6 (£6.4m), and Manchester’s M14 (£5.7m).

COHO Founder and CEO, Vann Vogstad, commented:

“The numbers speak for themselves: over £1.4bn in monthly rental income from nearly 400,000 licenced HMOs across England and Wales the shared living sector is a housing market heavyweight. What was once seen as the preserve of students and transient renters has evolved into one of the most lucrative and dynamic sectors of the UK market.

This evolution is being driven by a new generation of renters, most notably young professionals at the beginning of their careers who are showing a great appetite for the social and community benefits provided by shared living, while also craving a high quality, sophisticated home.

As the shared living demographic broadens and becomes more discerning, the sector’s revenue potential goes through the roof. Our own previous research has already proven that tenants will pay more to live in good quality homes with well-matched housemates, and the future scope for further value is limited only by the landlord’s creativity and ability to provide a rental experience above and beyond the rest of the market.”

EAN Breaking News

Breaking News from the team at Estate Agent Networking. Have a new story to share with us? Then please get in contact today! When and where we can we will refer to third party websites with a 'live link back' where news was released first.

You May Also Enjoy

Overseas Property

The most in-demand holiday home destinations

Alicante is the ideal place in the sun when it comes to Brit foreign property dreams Province on Spain’s Eastern coast is the most popular destination for Brits in TV foreign property series Almeria and the Costa Del Sol are in the top three based on analysis of 1,000 episodes of A Place In The…
Read More
Breaking News

Two Weeks to Go for First Phase of Renters’ Rights Act

With just two weeks until the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into effect, letting agents across England are being urged to ensure they are fully prepared for the significant operational and compliance changes ahead. From 1 May 2026, the new legislation will introduce wide-ranging reforms to tenancy structures, possession processes and rent…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report: February 2026

The housing market shows steady activity, ongoing challenges with sales agreed rising slightly and stock levels stable, while affordability pressures and longer transaction times continue to strain buyers and sellers. Demand is strong in the rental sector, with significant competition among tenants despite only a modest increase in available properties. Rents have remained relatively stable…
Read More
Breaking News

London boasts biggest property market gap

UK’s property price gaps exposed: London tops with £838k difference between top and bottom of the market The latest research from eXp UK has revealed the scale of the price divide between the most and least expensive property markets across each region of the UK, with three areas seeing average house price gaps of more…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

Questions raised over tenant-agent trust gap

New research from Propoly has found that while over half of tenants describe their letting agent as professional, quick to respond to queries, and efficient in handling maintenance issues, issues still exist, particularly a widespread suspicion that agents are not working in the tenants’ favour. Propoly commissioned a survey of 1,000 UK tenants* to understand…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

29 is the age house sharing becomes ‘embarrassing’

but 11% still do it, according to new Nationwide research That equates to 27 million admitting they have felt embarrassed about their living situation With 69% saying living alone is unaffordable, it’s no surprise the average age of those in house shares is 35 From moving home (12%) to living with an ex (10%), as…
Read More