Cost of living: East Midlands sees largest rise in house prices and rents

Rising rents have made it harder for people to leave social accommodation, said council bosses

The East Midlands saw the highest rise in rents and house prices in the UK in 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Figures show the average house price in the region increased by 12.3% over the year - to £256,159 - with a 5% rise in private rents in the same period.

Council bosses said the rises were contributing to a shortage of social housing.

One landlord told the BBC he had increased rents by up to 15%.

Lauren Knight and Dan Shipman say rising rents have made it impossible to move out of his parents' home in Bulwell

Dan Shipman and Lauren Knight, both 23, have been living with his parents in Bulwell in Nottingham for two years and have struggled to find a home of their own they can afford.

Mr Shipman said: "A lot of the properties on the market are £550 to £600 per calendar month and, when you add in all the different bills, it's just not affordable at all.

"Most of them are student properties or shared accommodation and not ideal for us."

Mr Shipman said he was on the waiting list for a council property but they were not high up it because he lived with his parents.

He said: "Maybe the more beneficial thing would be for my parents to kick me out but they're not going to do that.

"I presume that would increase my chances of getting a house."

More on this story

This week, BBC East Midlands Today is running a series of special reports on the housing crisis and solutions to it.

You can watch it on BBC One in the East Midlands at 18:30 GMT on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or through BBC iPlayer.

In Derby, more than 7,000 people are on the waiting list for a council property.

Derby Homes' head of housing options and homelessness, James Joyce, said: "It's awful.

"The cost of living is meaning that people who might go on to buy, after moving from social housing, can't afford to.

"People who might move from social housing into the private rented sector can't afford to and they are not leaving our stock.

"That means we don't have the properties to offer people, so my staff are having to place people into bed and breakfast and it hurts."

Landlord Andy Graham said he had reluctantly put up rents to cover rising costs

Landlord Andy Graham, who rents out properties around the Loughborough area, in Leicestershire, said: "In the last 12 months we have had to raise rents between 10% to 15% to keep up with the cost of inflation and maintenance and the cost of labour and materials have all gone up significantly.

"The cost of bills in some properties has almost doubled.

"I pay the bills for a lot of my tenants to make it easier and more inclusive for them.

"Increasing rent is not something we wanted to do.

"I do know landlords who have not been able to keep things profitable."