The steepest room rent rises are in northern England, Scotland and the Midlands, the Q4 2025 rental index data from flatshare site SpareRoom has revealed.
Almost half of the most popular towns and cities among flatsharers that have seen rents increase by more than 5% year-on-year in Q4 are located in the North of England.
They include West Yorkshire town Keighley, known for its affordability, but perhaps not for much longer as room rents are rising by 14% annually and are pushing £600 per month. Similarly, in the Cheshire town Widnes, near Manchester and Liverpool, rents are rising 12.8% year on year.
With the exception of Liverpool, major cities are absent from the list of highest risers, with towns and smaller cities seeing more rental price growth.
Matt Hutchinson, director at flatshare site SpareRoom, said: “Those navigating the market today will tell you affordable accommodation is scarce and only meaningful decreases would make life easier, so the fact rents are stabilising is far from a silver lining.
“In terms of affordability, too many renters are at breaking point, spending half their income on rent. The high cost of living is pushing people into traditionally more affordable areas and away from major cities which of course means these areas won’t be affordable for much longer. A laser-focus on boosting supply to the rental market is our best way out of the housing crisis.”
Scotland’s average rent dropped slightly in Q4 (-0.2%), but Perth (+7.4%), Paisley (+5.7%), Livingston (+6.7%) and Kirkcaldy (+6.1%) are all bucking the national trend. All offer considerably cheaper rents than both Edinburgh (£778pm) and Glasgow (£690pm).
In the north of England, Merseyside town Bootle has long been the cheapest place to rent in the UK, but it has been knocked off its spot by Lancashire town Burnley, after it saw the highest year-on-year rise nationwide.
Renting a room in Bootle now costs £527 per month on average, 18% more than Q4 2024.
In the Midlands, Stourbridge (+17.7%) and Wolverhampton (+9.6%) are leading the way on rent increases. But for those leaving Birmingham in search of cheaper rents, Stourbridge may no longer offer the affordability flatsharers are looking for.
At £649 per month, its average rent is now £31 per month higher than Birmingham’s, which fell 2% year on year in Q4 to £618 per month. Wolverhampton, however, is still £65 per month cheaper than Birmingham’s average rent.