Rent price inflation in the North West continues to slow, but increases still outstrip wage rises.
Average private rents in the North West increased by £61 a month to £916 in the 12 months to August, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The increase works out at an extra 7.1% compared to a year earlier, as a housing charity warns that soaring rents could push people into homelessness.
Separate figures from the ONS showed that annual growth in employees’ average earnings across the Ƶ was 4.8% in July, meaning wages are failing to keep up with rent increases.
Rent inflation in our region has been slowing down, however, having peaked at 10.1% in November 2024.
The high levels of rent inflation experienced over the last few years means that average rent has increased by 38.0% since August 2020, which works out at an extra £252 a month. By comparison, rents increased by just £65 a month in the previous five years.
Greater Manchester has been particularly affected by high rent inflation.
The average private rent in Trafford is £429 a month more expensive in the year to August 2025 than it was in the year to August 2020. That’s the largest increase in the North West.
In Manchester the increase is £383 a month over the same time period.
In Salford the increase is £344 a month, in Tameside it’s £320 a month, in Bury £319 a month, and in Stockport it’s £314 a month.
Cheshire West and Chester has seen the largest increase outside of Greater Manchester, with private renters facing bills £270 a month more than they were five years ago.
Average private rents in the Ƶ increased by £73 a month to £1,348 in the 12 months to August. The increase works out at an extra 5.7%.
A total of 51 local authority areas have seen the average monthly cost of renting privately increase by at least £100 a month.
It now costs an average of £2,793 a month to rent privately in the London borough of Camden. That’s an increase of £292 a month (up 11.6%), which is the largest monthly monetary increase in the Ƶ.
In Richmond upon Thames, the average private rent has increased by £216 a month (a 10.7% increase). In Lambeth it’s up by £216 a month (9.7%), while in Oxford it’s up by £199 a month (11.7%), in Broxbourne by £198 a month (13.7%), and in Hackney by £198 a month (8.4%).
Ben Twomey, Chief Executive at Generation Rent, said: “Homes are the foundations of our lives, but rents continue to rise faster than our wages, swallowing more and more of our income. High rents push people into homelessness and trap them in temporary accommodation, they pull children into poverty and prevent people from saving for the future.
“We rightly have caps on our energy and water bills, but the same protections don’t exist to stop landlords from pricing us out of our homes. The government can and must act through devolving powers to Mayors to limit rent increases in their areas.”
You can see how your area compares using our interactive map:
Private renters in Newport have experienced the largest rent inflation in the Ƶ.
It cost £934 to rent the average home in Newport in the 12 months to August. That’s 20.6% more than a year earlier, which works out at an extra £159 a month.
In Nuneaton and Bedworth, average private rents increased by 15.3% (an extra £118 a month). In Broxbourne rent inflation was 13.7% (an extra £198 a month), while in Barking and Dagenham it was 13.3% (£195 a month), and in Merthyr Tydfil it was 13.2% (£89 a month).
