Renting a room in UK tops £700 a month on average

SpareRoom’s data showed rents had risen year on year in the UK’s 50 largest cities and towns, with the biggest rises in Edinburgh (25%), Middlesbrough (21%) and Manchester (20%). Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

The average cost of renting a room in the UK has risen to more than £700 a month for the first time, according to data from the property website SpareRoom.

Experts said the data was proof the housing market “isn’t working for anyone”, and that rising rents meant tenants were stuck in unsuitable homes.