RENT prices rose in Wrexham and Flintshire over the past year as demand for properties continues to increase. 

It comes as campaign group Generation Rent said renters across Britain are being exploited by an "out of control market" and a lack of protections.

Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show the average private rent in Wrexham reached £710 per month in the year to September – up 9% from £652 a year prior. It was also up 25% from an estimated £567 a month five years ago.

While in Flintshire rent prices were at £722 per month in the year to September – up 5% from £685 a year prior. This was also up 20% from an estimated £602 a month five years ago.

Across Wales, the average rent was £760 – rising 8% from the year before.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said "budget threats" were driving up rents.

She added: "Given the continued exodus of landlords, renters face the double misery of fighting over the scraps and then paying a fortune for them."

In September, the average private rent in Great Britain was £1,295 per month. This was £101, or 8%, higher than 12 months ago.

Meanwhile, separate ONS figures show Consumer Price Index inflation has slowed to 1.7% in September, down from 2.2% in August.

Dan Wilson Craw, deputy chief executive of Generation Rent, said: "Our biggest monthly expense is going up far faster than inflation or our wages."

He added: "Renters are being exploited by an out of control market, and the lack of protections that allow unscrupulous landlords to maximise the rent at every opportunity.

"As a result, renters are unable to save for the future, and many are still making painful decisions about whether to turn the heating on or skip a meal."

He urged the Government to included protections from unaffordable rent rises in the Renters Rights Bill.

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"The Government must cap rent increases at the lowest of inflation or wage growth, to stop this huge discrepancy between rent costs and renters’ incomes from widening," he said.

Last month, Wrexham was revealed as the most in demand place for rental properties in the UK, with one estate agent telling the Leader that there was a significant lack of properties available and the issue was only going to get bigger. 

The figures also show the different costs for various homes in Wrexham, among the property types in the area:

  • A detached housed cost £919 to rent per month in Wrexham and £918 in Flintshire.
  • A semi-detached cost £739 per month in Wrexham and £749 in Flintshire.
  • A terraced house was £665 per month in Wrexham and £710 in Flintshire.
  • While a flat or maisonette was £611 a month in Wrexham and £602 a month in Flintshire. 

The Government's Renters' Rights Bill returned to parliament for the second reading earlier this month.