While high rents have come to be an expected facet of city dwelling, new research suggests rent in towns within commuting distance of big cities like London are skyrocketing.
Among them is Luton, which has previously been named as one of the cheapest London commuter towns, and is about 45 minutes away from the Big Smoke by train.
Rents in Luton increased by 33.1% between 2020 and 2023 — more than the UK average, which sits at 30%, according to the research by Zoopla.
The average rent in Luton currently sits at about £1,431 pcm, according to analysis by Home.co.uk, but for a one bed, it’s more like £1,000 pcm.
While this is a far cry from the average £2,120 rent in the capital, Luton is now among the top 10 towns and cities seeing worryingly high rent rises.
Worryingly, rents are rising faster than earnings, which may leave people unable to afford to rent properties in Luton, even if they’ve lived there their whole lives.
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Experts put it down to the increase in remote and hybrid working, which has risen tenfold since the pandemic.
Richard Donnell, Zoopla’s executive director of research, said that the people renting in these commuter towns ‘may only go into the office two or three times a week and, if they are in a flat, may have looked for a bit more room’.
Elsewhere in the country, Bolton – which is just outside of Manchester, with transport links to the city centre – has seen the biggest increase in rent prices, up 39% between 2020 and 2023, and by 15% in the last year alone.
In Bolton, as in Glasgow, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Wigan, rents have risen twice as fast as earnings in the last three years.
Top 10 largest UK rent increase, 2020 – 2023
- Glasgow
- Bolton
- Manchester
- London
- Edinburgh
- Wigan
- Newport
- Bradford
- Rochdale
- Luton
In the same timeframe, hordes of Londoners have left the city in favour of commuter towns which, like Luton, typically offer more affordable rents and a slower pace.
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However, research shows that Luton is not top of the list for Londoners looking to greener pastures.
In fact, that’s Chelmsford, in Essex, which offers easy access to London when needed via regular 30-minute trains into Liverpool Street.
Here, rents are a bit higher than in Luton, at £1660 on average, according to Home.co.uk.
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Next was Tonbridge in Kent, followed by Guildford and Redhill, in Surrey. Rents here are about £1,330, £2200 and £1820 respectively, again according to Home.co.uk.
Top 10 places people moved to since 2020 after living in London
-
Chelmsford
- Total moved from London since 2020: 19,327
- Average house price: £397,908
-
Tonbridge
- Total moved from London since 2020: 16,526
- Average house price: £479,790
-
Guildford
- Total moved from London since 2020: 16,360
- Average house price: £599,294
-
Redhill
- Total moved from London since 2020: 15,470
- Average house price: £515,453
-
Hemel Hempstead
- Total moved from London since 2020: 13,422
- Average house price: £437,166
-
Medway Towns
- Total moved from London since 2020: 13,112
- Average house price: £328,805
-
Brighton
- Total moved from London since 2020: 12,271
- Average house price: £351,335
-
Southend on Sea
- Total moved from London since 2020: 11,286
- Average house price: £347,995
-
Reading
- Total moved from London since 2020: 10,676
- Average house price: £431,545
-
Slough
- Total moved from London since 2020: 10,130
- Average house price: £442,667
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