Ipswich properties increasingly pricey for renters on 25K

It means that according to a recent study by Resume.io/Uk fewer properties the town is less affordable to renters on this income than Lincoln 10.40%, Plymouth 8.13% and Sheffield 6.75%.

Regionally however Ipswich was more affordable for those on £25,000 compared to Cambridge and Chelmsford where no properties were affordable or even Norwich (2.11%) and Colchester (5.18%). 

The figures provided used the definition of affordability from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which defines a property as affordable if a household spends "the equivalent of 30% or less of their gross income on rent."

Last week ONS figures revealed that private rents increased by nine per cent in the town, with renters paying over £900.

Even if they are earning the median salary for the area renters are only able to afford 28.82% of properties in Ipswich according to the study.

According to figures from the website Plumplot the median salary in Ipswich is £33,400 compared to the UK average of £35,000.

Nelleke van Helfteren from Ipswich Citizens Advice said that the organization had seen 1,000 people contact them with housing issues in the last year with "large numbers" unable to pay their rent.

She added that there were several challenges including the low local housing allowance, the difficulty people have finding somewhere to live.

She said others faced an insistence from some private landlords to have a guarantor which was "infantilising" young renters as well as acting as a barrier to getting a tenancy. 

Alastair Ross said it was important for the council to deliver on its housing commitment. (Image: Newsquest) Councillor Alasdair Ross, Ipswich Borough Council executive member for housing, said that the figures emphasised the importance of the council's commitment to providing housing.

He said: "It is concerning that there are so few properties in Ipswich that are affordable to those earning £25,000 a year.

"This is one of the reasons that this council have made building new council houses a priority, and we will soon see much needed new houses and flats handed over to tenants in Bibb Way Ipswich."