20-somethings cannot afford rent in most of UK

Rent is “unaffordable” across two thirds of Britain for people in their 20s, BBC research has found.

Average rents for a one-bedroom flat are more than 30 per cent of young people’s salary in 65 per cent of postcode areas. That level of spending puts considerable strain on finances, according to housing associations.

In London, the figure reaches 55 per cent of monthly earnings.

Flat sharing does not entirely solve the problem, the study concluded, as in 12 per cent of postcodes it remains “unaffordable” for two people in their twenties to share a two-bedroom home.