“Unable to buy, people – especially the young – are turning to rent as the only option. Private rents are exploding: the UK average monthly private rent is now £900, up 10% on last year. This is a dog-eat-dog world of large deposits, six weeks’ rent paid in advance and stunning agents’ fees. So for just a moderate flat the renter has to find more than £2,000 even to cross the threshold.
Hence, social housing has never been more important – yet last year only 1,230 new council houses were built to offset an estimated 10,000-15,000 that are sold each year. More than 1.5m council homes have been sold since 1980.”
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/20/right-to-buy-disastrous-for-housing-market
East Devon Watch 