Average rent up to nearly £1,000 in Plymouth

Average rent up to nearly £1,000 in Plymouth5 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMiles DavisDevon political reporterBBCThere are plans to build 10,000 homes in Plymouth city centre Huge increases in rents and a shortage of supply have led to a housing crisis in Plymouth, according to councillors and a housing charity.Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show average private rents in the city have shot up by more than 30% in the last five years from £740 in March 2021 to £975 in March 2026.A housing charity boss said the leap in costs, combined with a cost-of-living crisis, meant more and more people were struggling to find somewhere to live.Ahead of the Plymouth City Council elections on 7 May, we find out what people want to see in Plymouth and what sort of vision political leaders have for the city.Victoria Allen is the CEO of a charity set up to help people into private rented accommodationVictoria Allen is CEO of Plymouth Access to Housing - a charity set up to help people into private rented accommodation.She said: "It's really hard at the moment - particularly for people who are on low incomes."There is a definite shortage of supply of genuinely affordable housing for people."There are more than 7,000 people on the Devon Home Choice waiting list for social housing in Plymouth.Allen said: "It's really tough. Rents have escalated while salaries and the amount people have in their pockets is being hit really hard by the cost-of-living crisis."Every time an affordable, decent rental does come up, more and more people are going for it and that means there's so much competition that people on the lowest incomes or who perhaps have the biggest challenges in life, just aren't able to access the housing they need."More news stories for DevonListen to the latest news for DevonThere are major plans in the pipeline to deliver more than 10,000 homes in the city centre amid claims Plymouth is about...