Story · Curiosities map · about 3 min
Who rents privately?
On Census day in 2021 about one household in five in England and Wales rented from a private landlord. This story reads that share neighbourhood by neighbourhood: where renting is the norm, where it is rare, and how it follows deprivation in England and in Wales.
One household in five
On Census day in March 2021, 20% of households in England and Wales rented from a private landlord or letting agency. Wales stands lower than England, at 17% against 20%. The map shades every neighbourhood by that share, from pale where almost nobody rents privately to dark orange where most households do.
Central London
In London as a whole 30% of households rent privately. Among councils the highest shares are in City of London (48%), Westminster (43%), Kensington and Chelsea (40%) and Newham (39%).
From almost all to one in ten
In one Bradford neighbourhood, Bradford 065C, 93% of households rent privately. At the other end, councils such as North East Derbyshire (10%) have about one household in ten renting from a private landlord.
Twice as common where deprivation is higher
Now England’s 2025 deprivation index, with the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in dark purple. In that tenth 24% of households rent privately, in the least deprived tenth 12%: 2.0 times as many.
Wales and Scotland
Wales shows the same direction on its own deprivation index: 17% of households rent privately in the most deprived tenth of Welsh neighbourhoods and 11% in the least deprived. Scotland’s own census, a year later, finds 13% across the country, with the highest shares in City of Edinburgh (23%) and Dundee City (21%) and the lowest in Na h-Eileanan Siar (6%).
For classrooms and curious minds
Questions to talk about, alone or in a group.
- Why might private renting be so common in central London and so rare in some country districts?
- Private renting is more common where deprivation is higher. What else would you need to know before saying anything about why?
Try it on the map: Find your own neighbourhood. Is it above or below the share for England and Wales, and who do you think rents there?
The figures above are calculated from the datasets listed on Data & sources and are approximate: many map layers are modelled or interpolated. Read each layer’s caveats on the map.