Rent bill up £7.7bn since 2008

Private renters in England paid a total of £7.7bn more in rent during 2012 than in 2008 according to new analysis from Castle Trust.

Analysis of the latest Office for National Statistics English Housing Survey by Castle Trust also found that the number of private renters in England rose to 3.8m in 2012, up 23% on the 2008 figure of 3.1 million.

The average annual amount paid on private rent increased by £572 or 7% from £7,956 in 2008 to £8,528 in 2012.

Castle Trust said the dramatic increase in the number of private renters and the cost of rent is ‘increasingly worrying’ given additional recent analysis which showed that monthly mortgage expenditure constitutes 30% of an average household’s total outgoings.

Sean Oldfield, chief executive officer at Castle Trust, said: “Despite mortgage rates being well below their historic average, renting is booming as homeownership becomes more and more of a distant dream.

“Mortgage payments represent a significant proportion of a household’s monthly spending and many people do not see the viability of owning a home.

“The risk of rising mortgage rates is a major issue for homeowners with their finances already under pressure and shared equity can play a major role in reducing risks, including the risk of going into arrears, by cutting monthly mortgage commitments.”

Peter Lawrence of Lawrence Rand said: “These figures confirm the significant growth in the private rental sector over the last few years.

At Lawrence Rand we have invested heavily in our lettings systems and personnel in order to ensure that we provide the very best market leading services to our landlords and tenants.

Our dedicated property management team are proactive and available to handle any questions or queries."