- Top 30 locations with the fastest-growing demand for lodgers in the past year are all towns and villages, not major cities, as financial pressures hit homeowners.
- Lodging in towns and villages is now a more viable option for renters priced out of cities, due to the rise in flexible work.
- Towns in the West Midlands see some of the highest increases in lodger ads: up 97% in West Bromwich, 66% in Oldbury, and 65% in Dudley.
Amid rising living costs and mortgage rate increases, more homeowners are finding ways to supplement their incomes by renting out spare rooms in their homes. The latest data from houseshare site SpareRoom shows the number of room ads for lodgers has risen significantly in towns and villages, compared to a year ago.
Interestingly, none of the top 30 UK locations with the largest increases in lodger ads are cities. Instead, villages and market towns - where rent is often significantly cheaper - top the list of fastest-growing areas.
Lodging is a viable way for both homeowners and renters to ease financial burdens as one report finds more than a fifth (21%) of people covering housing costs in England are struggling to keep up with rent or mortgage repayments *. For lodgers, room rents in the UK are, on average, 11% cheaper than renting as a tenant, and 17% cheaper for those lodging in London **.
Three towns in the West Midlands secured positions in the top 10 for lodger ad increases in the past year: West Bromwich (97%), Oldbury (66%), and Dudley (65%). In the county of Kent, Greenhithe and Swanscombe feature as some of the semi-rural locations in the ranking, seeing increases of 68% and 43%, respectively.
The table below shows the top 30 UK locations with the largest increases in ads placed by 'live-in landlords' looking for lodgers between 2023 and 2024:
| Location | % change2023-24 | Location | % change 2023-24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEST BROMWICH | 97.2 | 16 | BELVEDERE | 47.5 |
| 2 | SUNBURY-ON-THAMES | 79.2 | 17 | HALIFAX | 47.4 |
| 3 | SALE | 76.5 | 18 | WELLING | 46.3 |
| 4 | WEST DRAYTON | 76.1 | 19 | LEIGHTON BUZZARD | 45.6 |
| 5 | HAVERFORDWEST | 71.0 | 20 | LEWES | 45.1 |
| 6 | GREENHITHE | 68.4 | 21 | SOUTHALL | 43.9 |
| 7 | OLDBURY | 65.7 | 22 | SWANSCOMBE | 42.6 |
| 8 | DUDLEY | 64.5 | 23 | HAYES | 40.8 |
| 9 | BARKING | 64.4 | 24 | NEWMARKET | 39.7 |
| 10 | FELTHAM | 55.4 | 25 | LUTON | 39.4 |
| 11 | PENRYN | 51.4 | 26 | HARROW | 38.8 |
| 12 | ILFORD | 50.6 | 27 | DOVER | 38.3 |
| 13 | RAINHAM | 50.0 | 28 | HOUNSLOW | 38.1 |
| 14 | STANFORD-LE-HOPE | 50.0 | 29 | WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA | 37.5 |
| 15 | TOTNES | 47.6 | 30 | SOLIHULL | 37.0 |
Matt Hutchinson, spokesperson for SpareRoom, comments:"We're seeing a dramatic uptick in the number of homeowners in towns and villages renting out spare rooms in their homes, reflecting the financial pressures UK homeowners are facing today. Coupled with a shortage of affordable rental properties, particularly in cities where rent is considerably higher, it's forcing renters to consider moving out to cheaper areas.
"Even towns on city outskirts such as Twickenham and Epsom now have some of the highest rents outside of London, driving renters even further afield to areas like Sunbury-on-Thames, Hayes and Feltham, where rent is less expensive.
"On the upside, the shift towards more flexible office hours means people are commuting less. This is allowing renters the option to relocate to more affordable areas and reap the benefits of working a city job whilst enjoying the perks of living in suburbia. And with an estimated 26 million empty rooms in owner-occupied properties, there's a lot of untapped potential to free up much-needed rental supply. There aren't that many win-win stories in the housing market but this might just be one of them."