STUDENT rents have risen by almost 20 per cent in four years, research suggests today.
An undergraduate can now expect to pay £61.64 a week, up almost £10 from £52.44 in 2004. In Edinburgh, this rises to £71.06.
The figures, based on 46,000 properties in 73 UK cities, were published by the website accommodationforstudents.com.
Lo
ndon was still the most expensive place to study, with an average weekly rent of £102.65.
The best value towns were Middlesbrough, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Crewe and Bradford, with rents between £40 and £45 a week.
The highest in Scotland was St Andrews, where rents topped £82 a week, followed by Edinburgh and Glasgow with average prices £71.06 and £69.34 respectively.
The findings showed some "hotspots" where rents have risen well above the national average – renting in Exeter now costs around £78 a week, 35 per cent higher than the average of £58 five years ago.
Simon Thompson, co-founder and director of Accommodation for Students, said: "Not only are costs going up but availability has been reduced as many former student landlords are now renting to young professionals who can no longer afford to get on the property ladder."
