By Vann Vogstad

If you want to understand Britain’s housing crisis, look at the latest ONS figures. The ONS private rent and house prices index now places typical UK rents at about £1,360 a month, with annual growth just under five percent.

Renting is serving millions of people well because demand remains strong and people rely on it to move for work, study and major life changes.

The numbers coming out of the ONS underline that reality, estimating that around 19% of UK households rent privately, which is roughly 5.4 million homes.

Even as rents continue to rise, people still turn to the private rented sector because it is the only part of the housing system that offers the flexibility and immediacy their lives require.

Unlike home ownership, renting supports mobility, lets people move quickly for work, removes the burden of major upkeep, and, in shared living, gives people the connection and support that comes from living with others. None of that is the issue.

The pressure comes from rising housing costs that force people to make decisions based on affordability rather than suitability. The latest ONS figures out this month show that house prices are up 2.6% in the last 12 months to September 2025 – widening this affordability gap further still.

Increasing numbers of people are struggling to live anywhere near where they work, and that is what property managers, landlords and tenants tell us........

© LBC