Renting alone cost average West Midlands tenant a quarter of income before cost-of-living crisis

A variety of To Let, Let By and Sold estate agent signs outside houses in Richmond upon Thames, London.

Renting alone was costing middle-income tenants in West Midlands a quarter of of their pre-tax wages before the cost of living escalated, new figures suggest.

The Government recently unveiled its renters' reform bill, which aims to ban no-fault evictions, provide greater legal power for renters to challenge landlords on unfit homes and protect them against unjust price rises.

Shelter said the bill is "a gamechanger for England’s 11 million private renters" but also expressed concern for tenants living on a knife-edge as the cost of living soars.

In West Midlands, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom property stood at £575 in the 12 months to March, Office for National Statistics figures highlight.

Separate ONS figures show the median wage of full-time employees in the area in 2021 was £29,245 per year.

It means the average middle-income worker living alone in West Midlands was spending around 24% of their income on rent last year.

The median is a measure used to exclude extreme values which could skew the average.

Living costs soared in April, adding to the financial strain on renters across the country.

In England, the median cost of a one-bedroom property was £700 per month in the year to March, while the median salary was £31,490 – meaning an average lone tenant was spending approximately 27% of their income on rent.

Median rent across all property types in West Midlands rose from £675 per month in the 12 months to March 2021 to £700 last year.