Renting: more than one in seven UK private tenants ‘overpaying’

Typical figure in first three months of 2022 was 6.1% higher than a year earlier, standing at 849 a month

More than one in seven private tenants are overpaying" to secure a rental property, often because they are desperate or there is nothing else available, research suggests.

Average UK rents have increased for the sixth quarter in a row as shortages of available properties continue to drive up costs, according to the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), a government-authorised scheme that keeps tenants' deposits safe.