Cost of lettings up across Sussex over the past year – how does your area compare?

The price of renting a home is rising far faster in some parts of the county than others, according to data shared with Sussex World by property website Zoopla.

From January 2022 to January 2023, the Adur district saw the greatest increase at 12.3 per cent – equivalent to £134 more per month. The Hastings borough was not far behind, with an increase of 11.7 per cent.

Worthing was third-highest, at 10.8 per cent, with Mid Sussex and Crawley completing the top-five, at 9.9 per cent and 9.7 per cent respectively.

The average cost of renting increased in every district and borough, with Chichester’s up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, Rother’s 8.2 per cent, and Horsham’s 7.7 per cent.

Wealden and Brighton & Hove both saw 7.7 per cent rises, while Eastbourne had the second-lowest, at 5.9 per cent. The Lewes district saw the smallest rise, at 4.5 per cent.

Big cities such as London, Manchester and Edinburgh were among those seeing the price of new lettings increase the most. Across Great Britain, the monthly price of lettings put on the market rose by 11.1 per cent over the same period, Zoopla’s rental index shows.

This is far higher than the 8.8 per cent rise in the inflation measure which includes homeowners’ costs – the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH).

Zoopla’s executive director Richard Donnell said the high prices were a result of increased demand and static supply levels. He said: “The rental market has been running very hot over the last year. It’s a growing area of concern for renters who face a market with 33 per cent fewer homes for rent than normal.”

He added higher prices were adding to the cost-of-living pressures on renters. “We expect rental growth to slow over 2023 as affordability pressures bite, and the slowdown could be dramatic in some city centres. Only by boosting landlords of all shapes and sizes to increase rental supply can we improve choice and control the pace of rental inflation,” he said.

The government is set to introduce a new Renters' Reform Bill in England, which it says will ease the squeeze on renters, for example by giving tenants stronger powers to challenge rent increases.

Many of the local authority areas seeing the biggest rises in the cost of new lettings were in London, the data shows. Newham saw the largest rise, with average prices up by a fifth (20.9 per cent) in the year to January 2023.