Number of private renters doubled over last decade
The rise of renters was laid bare today as new figures showed the proportion of homes in the private rental sector has doubled over the past decade.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 19.6 per cent of households — or 4.3m — were renting in 2015, up from 10.3 per cent in 2005.
Fewer renters also believe they will be able to climb their way on to the housing ladder, as those expecting to own property at some point in their live dropped from 61 per cent last year to 57 per cent.
Just one per cent said they didn’t want to buy a home because they enjoyed the flexibility of renting.