Four months of your annual income could go on rent: here’s the support available if you’re struggling

Private renters in England now spend an average of 36% of their gross income on rent, according to the Office of National Statistics. This year, 11 May marked the 131st day of the year, exactly 36% of 2026.

That means the average renter will effectively spend everything they earn from 1 January to 11 May paying their landlord. More than four months of wages or benefits gone before you’ve paid for food, bills, transport or childcare.

And the cost keeps climbing. A household paying the average rent in England will hand over more than £68,000 to their landlord in just four years. In London, where rents are highest, that figure rises to more than £109,000.

For many renters in major cities, the pressure is even worse. In London, ‘cost of rent day’ doesn’t arrive until 2 June. In Bristol, it falls even later, on 10 June. The local authority area where renters spend the greatest share of their income on housing is Kensington and Chelsea, where ‘cost of rent day’ lands on 26 September.

Generation Rent and Renters’ Reform Coalition are urging the government to take action to slow soaring rents and give renters more protection.

Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent said: 

“It’s not right that over four months of our income every year is being swallowed up by landlords. While it was encouraging to see the government recognise this through its recent consideration of a rent freeze, we need to see longer-term action.  

“Renters in some of our biggest cities are facing the most back breaking costs. The government must urgently give metro mayors the power to slam the brakes on soaring rents through limiting rent increases.” 

What support is available for renters?

According to Confused.com, the average monthly rent in the UK reached £839 in March 2026, with more than one in five renters paying over £1,000 a month.

If rising rent is stretching your finances, there are several forms of support that could help you.

Universal credit

Universal credit may include extra money to help people of working age with rent and service charges. 

This housing element is usually included in your monthly payment and paid directly to your landlord.

You can also apply for additional support from your universal credit if you're dealing with financial hardship.

Housing benefit

If you’re over state pension age, you might qualify for housing benefit through your local council. 

Some people under pension age may also be eligible, particularly if they live in supported or temporary housing.

The amount you receive depends on:

• your age
• where you live
• the size of your household

Discretionary housing payment (DHP)

If your rent is already partly covered by universal credit or housing benefit, you may be able to get a discretionary housing payment (DHP) - short-term payments that can help with rent or other housing costs.

You can apply for a DHP through your local council.

Charity grants

Organisations like Turn2us can help you find and apply for grants and other financial support from charities and local community groups.

Try our household bills calculator

If you’re worried about how rising costs could affect your finances, it could also be worth trying our free and interactive household bills calculator.

In just a few minutes, you’ll get a personalised estimate of how your monthly costs could change, with results tailored to where you live, so you’re not caught out when new bills arrive.

Once you’ve done this, you can take the next step by using our handy budget planner to map out your monthly finances. 

It’s free and easy to use.

Find out what benefits you can claim

If you’re struggling to keep up with household bills, remember that you might be entitled to some support.

We can check you’re getting all the benefits you’re eligible to claim with our benefits calculator.