Almost four in 10 UK flatsharers are spending more than half their income on rent, as asking rents continue to exceed renter budgets.

A SpareRoom survey found 37.8% of renters spend more than half their pay on rent, excluding bills.

By contrast, just 15.3% spend less than 30% of their income on rent.

The figures come as separate SpareRoom data shows a continuing gap between what flatsharers can afford and advertised room rents.

Average asking rents have remained above average renter budgets across the UK since the end of 2022.

In the second quarter of 2026, rents exceeded budgets in around half of the 35 major cities analysed by the flatshare platform.

Edinburgh recorded the largest affordability gap. The average flatsharer had a monthly budget of £748, compared with an average room rent of £834.

That leaves renters £86 short each month, equivalent to £1,028 a year.

York recorded the second-largest gap. Average monthly rents of £744 were £51 above the typical £693 budget.

Derby followed, with average rents of £581 compared with a renter budget of £530.

Other cities where rents exceeded budgets included Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Portsmouth.

The affordability pressure is also affecting renters’ ability to remain in their homes.

According to SpareRoom’s July survey, almost a third (32%) of UK renters said they had been forced to move during the previous year because their rent was no longer affordable.

The table below shows the 10 UK cities with the biggest affordability gaps between average budgets and average rents, based on a long list of 35 cities with the highest flatshare supply in Q2 2026:

UK cities Average monthly flatsharer budget Q2 2026 Average monthly room rent Q2 2026 Monthly difference budget vs rent Annual difference budget vs rent
1 Edinburgh £748 £834 £86 £1,028
2 York £693 £744 £51 £611
3 Derby £530 £581 £51 £607
4 Belfast £562 £600 £38 £456
5 Glasgow £640 £676 £36 £429
6 Cardiff £612 £647 £35 £421
7 Birmingham £583 £612 £29 £346
8 Coventry £539 £565 £26 £307
9 Leicester £536 £561 £25 £306
10 Portsmouth £621 £646 £25 £304

Although it’s recommended that no more than 30% of a person’s income be spent on housing costs, this is no longer an achievable goal for a majority of renters.

Just 15.3% of UK renters are spending less than 30% of their pay on rent excluding bills, while 37.8% are spending more than half their pay on rent, according to a July 2026 survey by SpareRoom. The same poll also found that, in the past year, almost a third (32%) of UK renters have been forced to move because their rent was no longer affordable.

Matt Hutchinson, director of flatshare site SpareRoom, comments: “Edinburgh’s room rental market suffers from the festival effect: prices spike cyclically when demand is heightened in the lead up to and over the summer. But it’s also the most expensive city to rent in outside of London, and our data shows many renters just aren’t prepared for, or able to meet, the steep prices in Scotland’s capital.

“Sizeable affordability gaps in York and Derby put paid to any expectation that rents will be more affordable in the north of the UK. Budgets are, of course, relative to earnings and wages are clearly not matching up with rising living costs. This is a problem across the whole of the UK. For more than three years UK room rents have outstripped budgets, and nothing is being done to protect rental supply and improve affordability.”