Rent Affordability – What It Means for Landlords in 2025

Rent Affordability – What It Means for Landlords in 2025

Rents have continued to rise across the UK in 2024, but so has the financial pressure on tenants. As a landlord, understanding rent affordability is crucial—not just for setting the right rental price, but also for ensuring your property attracts and retains good tenants.

Here’s what you need to know going into 2025.

📈 Rents Are Rising, But So Are Limits

According to the latest market data:

• Average UK rent (outside London): £1,294 per month

• Average rent-to-income ratio: 35.3%

• In some hotspots, tenants are spending over 40% of their income on rent

While these rising figures may seem like good news, there's a limit. If tenants are stretched too thin, arrears, disputes and void periods become more likely.

🧮 What’s Considered ‘Affordable’?

Letting experts generally consider rent to be affordable when it takes up no more than 30–35% of a tenant’s income. Above this level, tenants are more likely to:

• Struggle with payments

• Reduce spending on other essentials

• Move more frequently, causing turnover issues

💡 What This Means for Landlords

If you're letting a property in Weston-super-Mare or surrounding areas, here’s how to stay competitive and sustainable:

1. Set realistic rents based on local incomes, not just market averages

2. Offer value—well-presented homes, responsive maintenance, and extras like white goods or flexible move-in terms go a long way

3. Consider long-term gains over short-term hikes—keeping a great tenant is often more profitable than chasing an extra £50 per month

📊 How We Help

At Iles and Jenkin, we don’t just market your property—we help you make smart decisions.
✅ We use local data to guide rent pricing
✅ We screen tenants to ensure they’re financially suitable
✅ We help keep void periods low and tenancies stable

📞 Want advice on pricing or attracting the right tenant? Call us on 01934 512537 or email lettings@ilesandjenkin.com.