Nearly a third of private renters - an estimated 3.8 million people - "always" or "often" struggle to afford essentials like groceries due to the amount they spend on rent, and nearly 1 in 10 have sold or pawned personal items to be able to afford rent, new polling reveals, as the Renters' Rights Bill approaches its final stage in the House of Lords.
Renting campaigners have welcomed the progress of the legislation but warned that the bill won't address the affordability crisis in private renting. Average rents have risen by 31% in the last five years, and rent is currently rising by more than twice the rate of inflation.
An amendment to the Renters' Rights Bill proposed by Lib Dem peer Baroness Grender would introduce a review of rent affordability in England after the bill has been passed. The change, which received cross party support at committee stage, is likely to be brought to a vote in the bill's upcoming Report Stage, where it is expected to pass if supported by the Conservative frontbench.
Baroness Grender's amendment follows calls from renting campaigners for further action to make renting more affordable. The Renters' Reform Coalition (RRC), an alliance of leading housing and renters' groups, have commissioned exclusive new polling from More In Common of 1,076 private renters in England which shows the extent of the affordability crisis in private renting.
The polling findings indicate:
- 32% of renters either 'always' or 'often' struggle to afford essentials like groceries due to the cost of renting. The RRC estimates this would be about 3.8 million private renters.
- 9% of renters reported selling or pawning personal items in the last five years to be able to afford rent, with 32% of those who have pawned or sold something to afford their rent doing so on more than five occasions.
- The cost of renting is preventing renters from saving - 53% of those polled said they 'always' or 'often' don't have any money left for savings due to the amount spent on rent, and only 18% said this was 'never' the case.
Baroness Grender said:
"We want this Bill to pass, and soon. The Liberal Democrats have strongly supported its key protections for tenants, because renters urgently need these rights. But this only fixes part of the problem. Renters are often paying unreasonably high prices for homes that fail to meet basic standards. That’s why I’ve put forward an amendment to help make renting more affordable and fair. A caring society starts with a stable home, and we should demand nothing less."
Tom Darling, Director at the RRC, said:
"The cost of rent is out of control - it is just unacceptable that today nearly a third of tenants are struggling just to afford basic necessities like groceries. The Renters' Rights Bill is long overdue, and has a lot to recommend it, but it has very little to say about this affordability crisis.
"So Baroness Grender's proposal to review rental affordability after the bill has been passed and look at ways to improve it is an important one. Whatever else happens, this issue isn't going away - it's clear there will need to be more government action on affordability, and it's plain to everyone (whatever their view of the Renters' Rights Bill) that the current situation isn't sustainable. We hope to hear more from the government about its plans to tackle the cost of renting."
Notes to editors
- Baroness Grender's amendment can be found on p2 of amendments listed here: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/61045/documents/6571
- The RRC commissioned polling from More in Common, who surveyed 1076 private renters through three separate polls between 25 April - 5 May 2025. Data tables are below.
- RRC estimates of renters affected are based on Generation Rent research estimating there to be 12 million private renters in England, combined with More in Common polling.
