Homeowners have it tough. Renters have it tougher ... so where’s the plan to help?

The UK’s housing market is in perma-crisis but all the attention is focused on buyers, writes James Moore. Renters are under unprecedented pressure – it’s time the government took them seriously

Average rents in Great Britain have now passed the £1,300 a month mark (PA Wire)

Someone should confer upon Britain’s renters an official right to feel furious. If there is any group in the perma-crisis that is Britain’s housing market deserving of being heard, it’s surely them.

The latest update from estate agent Hamptons makes that clear, serving as a bright red flashing light bearing the legend “problem” or perhaps “crisis” even “emergency”. Its figures are horrible. The average rate of annual rental growth on a newly let property hit 12.0 per cent in August, which is the fastest since the company first started producing its lettings index in 2014.

The average rent paid in Great Britain crossed the £1,300 per calendar month mark for the first time last month, less than a year after breaking the £1,200 barrier and barely three years since passing £1,000.