Rent in Bradford costs nearly a third of the average wage, figures show

THE average rent in Bradford costs nearly a third of the area's median wage, new figures show.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals the average rent in Bradford was £672 a month in May.

Separate figures from the ONS show the median wage for the same month was £2,116 in the area – meaning rent accounted for 32 per cent of the monthly income for an average individual.

The statistics are based on individual wages – cohabiting couples or those living in house shares will see rent shared between multiple wages.

Campaign group Generation Rent said the next Government must tackle the cost of rent by building more homes.

The group also wants to see landlords stopped from raising rent above wage growth or inflation.

Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: "Prices in the shops may have stopped rising so quickly, but renters are still seeing our single biggest cost go up faster than our incomes.

"Landlords can raise the rent as high as they think they can get away with and use the threat of a no-fault eviction to bully their tenants to accept it."

He added: "We won't fix the cost of renting crisis unless the next Government acts to slam the brakes on these runaway rents."