The BBC have analysed average rental costs and wages as part of an investigation into affordable housing.
Shelter and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have set out a guideline that monthly rent or mortgage payments should be no more than a third of your monthly disposable income, otherwise you may not be able to afford other basic needs.
What did they find?
Using figures published by the Office for National Statistics, the average monthly take home wage of a person in England is £1,833 and applying the Shelter / Joseph Rowntree Foundation guideline means that monthly rent should therefore be no more than £550.
However, the average rent for a one-bed flat in England is currently £694 per month.
This means that in 142 out of 324 local authority areas included in the analysis the rent for a one-bed flat was higher than the 30% guidelines. Unsurprisingly the vast majority of these areas are in the South of England.
With regard to other types of properties, the average rent in England for a house share is £382, a studio flat is £641, a and a two-bed house is £760.
How does Swindon compare?
Looking at the data for just Swindon the average monthly take home wage of a person in England is slightly higher than the English average at £1,875 meaning that that monthly rent should therefore be no more than £563.
The average rent for a one-bed flat in Swindon is currently £555 per month, so is just under the guideline maximum by £8 meaning that unlike large parts of the South of England housing in Swindon can actually be considered affordable.
And again with regard to other types of properties, the average rent in Swindon for a house share is £419, a studio flat is £489, and a two-bed house is £650.
Do you consider the housing in Swindon to be affordable? Or do you disagree with this analysis and are struggling to get a place to live? Let us know by emailing us at getintouch@theswindonian.co.uk
