Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the median figure for private rented sector rents in England reached a record high of £700 a month as the UK headed into lockdown.

The ONS notes that this figure ‘has not been higher’.

The highest median rent of £1,425 a month was in London and the lowest in the north-east of England at £495.

Westminster is the most expensive location in the country with a median of £2,492 per month – five times the average rent in Hull where the average is just £420 a month.

The ONS data covers a period from April 1st 2019 to 31st March 2020.

With 8.5 million people renting, and spending on average 41% of their incomes on housing costs, the statistics are bound to fuel speculation about tenants’ renting affordability.

Median and interquartile range of monthly rents by bedroom categories, England, 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020

Median and interquartile range of monthly rents for all bedroom categories, by region, 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020

Interractive map of median monthly private rental price in England, by local authorities and bedroom category, 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020