St Albans rent costs are second highest in the East of England

St Albans rent costs are second highest in the East of England according to a report by the housing an homelessness charity, Shelter.

The report, whose data is based on two-bedroom homes, puts St Albans at the top-end of very unaffordable average rents in relation to average take-home pay.

Renting is a growing trend, with more than a million people across the UK in rented accommodation than there were five years ago. Due to a number of social and economic reasons, including the cost of housing, the toughening up on mortgage offers and the fact that we are now starting to co-habit later in life, renting is on the up. But the report reveals that less than 50% of us are happy with renting, with the majority finding it the only way to realistically access a home.

The report highlights that within London the average rent for a two bedroom home is £1,360, and outside London averages considerably less than half of that at £568. But St Albans gets a mention in the report for its high cost of renting with the average for a two-bedroom home at £948 per month, with good commuter links cited as a reason.

St Albans rates second most expensive in the East region, with Three Rivers coming top with an average of £1,063, and locally renting would account proportionally for 40-49% of average take home pay.

St Albans MP, Anne Main commented at the release of the report, saying: "I am not surprised to see that St Albans is one of the least affordable places to live in the East of England. Many constituents have come to see me saying that they struggle to rent in St Albans, which leads to more pressure on social housing, a loss of independence for individuals as they have to stay at home or forcing them to live outside St Albans away from jobs, friends and family.

"There is a shortage of affordable housing options in St Albans which is why I welcome the new localism bill; which has the potential to empower the council to decide what homes St Albans needs.

"I recently met with St Albans Friends of the Earth and discussed the draft National Planning Policy Framework and we agreed that any housing development should always look to Brownfield sights first for development. We need to tackle the problems of getting into housing in St Albans. We need to focus on getting better housing for families and young people and not just on development flats; while at the same time protecting our green fields."

Do you rent in St Albans? Is it your choice or a necessity? Should there be more affordable homes in St Albans? Or should you only live within your means in an area affordable to you?  - Please give us your take on the story below!

The full report from Shelter can be seen here:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/386828/Private_Rent_Watch_Report_1.pdf