Rents in Wales rising faster than anywhere else in Britain, housing charity finds

Ella Groves

One in seven adults in Wales have made cuts to their spending in order to be able to afford their rent or mortgage, new research has found.

This rises to a third of people when looking at those who rent their homes from private landlords.

These figures, released by housing charity Shelter Cymru, demonstrate the extent to which Wales is gripped by a housing crisis, with rents rising faster than anywhere else in Britain.

The charity has calculated that one in every 210 children in Wales are homeless and living in temporary accommodation based on Welsh Government Homelessness and Population Data.

Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru, said: “These shocking statistics are a stark reminder of the challenges that tens of thousands of households are facing right now. With Shelter Cymru seeing every day the impossible decisions that people are being faced with.”

Official statistics published by the Welsh Government, show that in 2024/25 the most common reason for people to seek support from their local council when threatened with homelessness was the ‘loss of rented or tied accommodation’.

Tied accommodation relates to someone who is a service occupier, and is required by their employment contract to live in specific accommodation such as a caretaker or pub manager.

The research also showed that almost half of private renters expect to have to cut spending in order to afford rent in the future.

Ms Power added: “At a time when there are already more than 10,000 people – including more than 2,000 children – homeless and trapped in temporary accommodation, the fact that tens of thousands more are struggling to cover the cost of rent is deeply worrying.

“At Shelter Cymru we see daily the impact that homelessness and unfit housing has on people and on communities. But we also see what can be achieved when the right support is made available, with homelessness prevented in 90% of the relevant cases that we worked on in 2024/25. Something that is only possible because of the support that people across Wales give to us.

“This is why we’ve launched our Winter Appeal, asking anyone who can to donate to support our work – this will ensure people experiencing or at risk of homelessness can continue to rely on us for advice, help and support.”

Shelter Cymru offer free, confidential, and independent  advice to people across Wales who are struggling with housing emergencies. More information can be found on their website.