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Rents soar in commuter towns as remote workers flee cities in search of cheaper homes - what does it mean for landlords?

ended 12. November 2026

Rents soar in commuter towns as remote workers flee cities in search of cheaper homes, according to data from Spareroom. 

Rents hit record highs in seven of Britain’s nine regions in the three months to September, with 21 towns and cities recording annual increases of at least 3 per cent.

The rises have been fuelled by growing competition for rental rooms, with availability down 4.7 per cent compared with the same period last year.

According to SpareRoom, rising costs and a shortage of available accommodation are also pushing renters out of major cities and towards commuter and market towns in search of more affordable places to live.
 

Questions for Newspagers

  1. Have you noticed an increase in demand for rental properties or rooms in your area, particularly from tenants moving out of major cities in search of more affordable accommodation?
  2. Have rising rents and increased competition among tenants allowed you to raise your rental prices, and if so, by how much over the past year?
  3. Are you seeing a change in the type of tenants approaching you, such as more remote workers and professional sharers looking to rent in commuter towns, and what impact is this having on your business?

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3 responses from the Newspage community

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Tony SanchezVerified
Founder at Bridging Loan Directory
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Rising room rents in commuter towns may prompt property investors to look beyond the major cities. For someone considering an HMO purchase or refurbishment, the useful question is whether the property suits the tenants looking there: room sizes, shared space, transport links and somewhere to work can all influence its appeal.

Bridging finance can help fund a purchase and improvements before moving onto a longer-term mortgage. The investment case needs to reflect the rent achievable at that particular property and the cost of getting it ready.
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Harry GoodliffeVerified
Director at HTG Mortgages
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Record rents are a sign the rental market is shrinking, and tenants are the ones paying for it, as we all expected would happen. Availability is down 4.7 per cent in a year, and that’s the whole story. Landlords have had higher mortgage rates, more regulation and a tax rise still to come, so plenty have sold up and fewer are buying. As a landlord myself, I’d say most rent rises are covering costs, and nobody’s getting rich. Until the Government gives people a reason to invest in rental homes again, expect those towns to get dearer too.
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Tony RedondoVerified
Founder at Cosmos Currency Exchange
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Cornwall’s rental market is seriously short of supply, and local landlords and investors in my network are feeling it. The daily rail-commuter belt is tiny, mostly Truro, Falmouth and St Ives, so incoming demand comes from full-time remote workers and lifestyle relocators priced out of London and Bristol. Add stock lost to holiday lets and landlords quitting after the Renters’ Rights Act, and a decent listing pulls dozens of enquiries within hours. Room rents are at record highs, yet landlords tell me their 2% to 4% annual increases are defensive. They simply cover higher mortgage, maintenance and compliance costs, and they respect Cornwall’s low wage ceiling. Investors increasingly favour older remote-working sharers, who bring real financial stability. The catch: working from home all day pushes up utility costs on bills-included lets, and ultra-fast broadband is now essential, not optional