UK renters paying £8 per sq ft, £12 in London – ideal flatmate’s Q3, Room Rental Index

The latest Room Rental Index by ideal flatmate has been released for Q3 2019, looking at the cost of renting a room across the UK’s major cities and each London borough. You can find the full index report attached in pdf form, including current average room rentals, the quarter to quarter change, and the cost per square foot, but for any further comment or info, please get in touch.

The latest index shows that: –

  • The average room rental cost across the UK is £584, up 1% quarter to quarter.

 

  • UK room renters are currently paying £8 per square foot.

 

  • The average room rental cost across London is £813 – the highest of all major UK cities.

 

  • Renting a room in the capital costs an average of £12 per square foot, up from £11 at the start of this year.

 

  • At an average cost of £1,025 a room, per month, Westminster is currently the most expensive London borough – a cost of £15 per square foot.

 

  • Aberdeen is the most affordable UK city in which to rent a room costing just £4 per square foot – an average cost of £268 per month.

 

  • London, Nottingham and Bristol have seen the largest quarterly uplifts in room rental prices, while Havering Lewisham and Hillingdon have seen the biggest increases in cost across the capital.

Co-founder of ideal flatmate, Tom Gatzen, commented:

“A mixed bag throughout the third quarter with the cost of renting a room on the up yet again across the majority of UK cities, although some of the more expensive areas of London and the UK have seen the rate of rental growth cool to a degree.

It’s still not clear as to whether the ban on tenant fees has led to a notable increase in rents and if it has, this certainly hasn’t trickled through to the nation’s renters yet.

On the whole, we’re seeing lower rates of rental growth quarter to quarter than we did earlier in the year, but with changes to the tenant fees only impacting new tenancies or renewals, we could be yet to see the widespread surge in rental costs that many are expecting.

While there have been some large uplifts across the nation’s more prominent cities and London’s peripheral boroughs, this increase is more likely to have been driven by tenant demand more than any other factor.”

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Letting Agent Talk

Section 21 reform divides landlords and tenants

Five months after Section 21 was abolished, landlords and tenants remain sharply divided over whether the reform was necessary, but both sides agree that good relationships and clear communication have the greatest influence on how secure a renter feels, according to new research from LRG. The Autumn 2026 Lettings Report, based on responses from 405…
Read More →
to let sign 2025
Breaking News

70% of landlords anticipate rent rise due to Autumn Budget

As landlord exodus threatens rental supply The latest research from LegalforLandlords has found that 70% of UK landlords are considering increasing rents following the Government’s latest property income tax changes, while almost half are considering selling properties or reducing their portfolios, raising concerns about the future availability and affordability of privately rented homes. LegalforLandlords commissioned…
Read More →
Estate Agents should not all look the same
Estate Agent Talk

Estate agent earnings fails to keep pace with inflation

Estate agency earnings have failed to keep pace with inflation over the last decade, despite more positive growth in recent years, according to the latest industry analysis from eXp UK, highlighting why more agents may be looking towards the self-employed model to maximise their earning potential. eXp UK analysed Office for National Statistics (ONS) data…
Read More →
Breaking News

Southern landlords face up to £22,000 tax hit

Landlords in the South East could pay more than £22,000 extra tax over 25 years, with those in the South West facing more than £19,000 Property income tax hike squeezes a generation that has turned to bricks and mortar to fund retirement Retirees across the South of England who rely on property to supplement their…
Read More →
Breaking News

Corporate landlords cautiously optimistic after first six months of RRA

Impact of Renters’ Rights Act not as bad as feared for professional investors More than four in five (82%) corporate landlords looking to expand Analysis of data from LRG’s Living Markets division reveals that after six months in force, the Renters’ Rights Act is yet to have any significant negative impact on the corporate landlords…
Read More →
Breaking News

Property market has failed to meet expectations

Two-thirds of developers say property market has failed to meet expectations as Autumn Budget fails to boost confidence Jonathan Samuels, CEO of specialist lender, Octane Capital, believes that the Autumn Budget has done little to restore confidence across the UK development sector, with the firm’s latest industry insight revealing that 67% of developers feel property…
Read More →