Rent prices have increased by almost nine percent across the UK in the last year, and have reached their highest levels on record.

It costs £1,293 a month to rent the average home in England, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics which cover the year to April 2024. That’s an increase of 8.9 percent compared to last year.

In Scotland, the average rent is £952 a month, which is 10.0 percent more than at the same time last year. Meanwhile, in Wales the…