A new rental index has revealed once considered 'affordable' areas where rent prices are now rising the fastest - even outstripping London, where monthly costs are down by 1% year-on-year.
According to SpareRoom, the UK's slowdown in rental prices is being overshadowed by the regions that used to be somewhat 'cheaper' to live in, with prices in these areas rising the highest year on year.
Cardiff in Wales saw the greatest increase, with rent up 6% year-on-year from January to March. This bumps the average monthly cost up by £21, to £353.
Residents in the East Midlands and Anglia have also seen sharp rises, with a 5% increase on last year, while people in the West Midlands have seen their rents rise an average 3% - compared to just 1% last year.
That works out as £144 more a year.
Belfast, traditionally one of the UK’s cheapest cities, is also experiencing a rapid increase at 3% and has four applicants per room.
5 areas where rent is rising fastest
Source: Sparerooms
While average rents in Scotland have jumped 2% in the past year, Scotland has seen a 7% rise, resulting in £30 extra a month.
This year alone, West Bromwich has seen the highest jump at 11%, while satellite towns Swindon and Luton are just behind on 10% and 9%.
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And while rent in the capital has actually fallen by 1% since 2016, just outside, commuter towns such as Luton (9%), Portsmouth (6%) and Milton Keynes (5%) have seen spikes as people move outwards for cheaper housing.
In contrast, Aberdeen’s property bubble remains well and truly burst, with a decrease of 7% year on year.
Where rent has dropped the most - or stayed the same
Aberdeen: -7% drop
Middlesbrough: - 1% drop
Bolton: 0% change in rent
Bradford: 0% change in rent
Huddersfield: 0% change in rent
Liverpool: 0% change in rent
Scotland, the south east and north east have all seen a slowdown in their rents, with the south east in particular experiencing a decline from a 6% increase in 2015 to 2016 to 3% increase from 2016 to 2017.
SpareRoom Director, Matt Hutchinson, said: "Rental growth is slowing across the UK as a whole, and rents are actually falling in London.
"But the news isn’t necessarily all good. Slowdowns in more expensive areas are being overshadowed by increases in traditionally cheaper regions of the UK, making affordability for those on low and middle incomes as much of an issue as ever.
"The pattern is repeated in London. Although rents are falling across much of the capital, increases in historically cheaper areas like South East London mean renters are still struggling to keep up with growth.
Hutchinson warns that until wages grow at the same rate as rents, people will continue to feel the pinch every month.
"Even then, years of rents growing faster than salaries has created an affordability crisis it will potentially take years to resolve," he added.
According to current figures, if the average UK flatsharer started the year putting all their take-home pay towards rent, it would have taken until May 12th to pay it off.