Private rents in Great Britain hit record high, data shows

Rightmove calls on new government to prioritise sector as rents outside London climb 7% in a year

Average private rents in Great Britain have climbed to record highs, prompting a call for the next government to prioritise measures to help create an extra 120,000 rental properties.

Data shows that the typical advertised rent outside London reached a record £1,316 a calendar month in May, the property website Rightmove said. The figure for London was £2,652 a month – almost three times the £894 asked for in north-east England.