Research from Rightmove suggests that the London commuter belt is home to the most expensive areas in which to rent outside of the capital.
With prices reaching record levels in a number of places, Esher was found to be the most expensive area, with a two-bed property commanding rent of almost £2,000. This was a substantial rise of 4.1% in comparison to last year.[1]
Oxford was next highest on the list, and rents for Esher and Oxford both averaged more than the outer-London norm of £1,493 per month
The top-ten most expensive areas to rent outside of the capital are:
- Esher
- Oxford
- Weybridge
- Marlow
- Ascot
- Henley-on-Thames
- Egham
- Windsor
- Bushey
- Guildford
Double-digit growth
Sam Mitchell, Head of Lettings at Rightmove, believes that, ‘people moving out of the capital to places in the south east has contributed to double-digit growth in rents in some of the most expensive places like Oxford and Henley-on-Thames.’ She continued by saying that, ‘factors like being close to good schools and transport links will always come at a premium’ and that the figures indicate that, ‘it’s wrong to think that anywhere outside of London will definitely be cheaper than in London.’[2]
Rightmove has reported that it has passed on 73% more email inquiries from would-be renters to their landlords this year in comparison to last.
[1-2] http://www.independent.co.uk/property/top-20-most-expensive-areas-to-rent-in-britain-that-arent-london-10218491.html