Increase in unaffordable rents in Canterbury

Made by Gijsbert van Dalen

Almost half of housing in Canterbury is unaffordable, says housing charity organization Shelter. In England 55 percent of private rents are too expensive, and in Canterbury 40 to 55 percent of private rents are rated “very unaffordable”.

“We have seen an increase in families unable to afford their private accommodation and making homelessness applications to Canterbury City Council,” Louisa Brown of Canterbury Housing Advice Centre says.

The average of private rents per month of one bedroom homes is £541 in Canterbury, that is 33 percent of the average take home pay.

This problem also hits students, as to Ewan Flack, Service Manager of the housing charity Catching Lives. "Because of the high rents in Canterbury, students are often priced out of the market."