Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the average increase in rent for private properties in London following the increase in the cost of living in the last 12 months; what comparative assessment he had made of the affordability of those increases on people on average earnings in London; and if he will make a statement.

The latest data published by the ONS shows that private rents in London rose by 3.5% in the 12 months to November 2022, compared to 4.1% on average across the rest of England. The most recent English Housing Survey from December 2022 shows that between 2021 and 2022, the average proportion of household income (including housing support) that private renters in England spent was 33%.