Date Published 20 December 2011
Falling house prices and increasing rental demand has made it cheaper to buy a property than to rent one in 45 of the 50 largest towns across Britain.
The cost of renting is now 13% higher on average than the cost of owning, according to the latest research from property website Zoopla.co.uk.
Milton Keynes topped the list of locations where buying beats renting with current rents more than 39% higher than the cost of owning, leaving renters on average £2,544 per year worse off. At the other end of the scale, renting remains more cost-effective in Aberdeen, where it costs 9% more to own compared to rent, leaving owners on average £936 worse off.
In London, where the average asking price for 2-bedroom flats currently stands at £430,608, buying still beats renting by a significant margin. The average monthly rent in the capital today is 28% higher than the cost of ownership, leaving renters paying an extra £5,964 annually compared to owners.
Senior Partner Julian Walley at the Wallingford Office commented:
'With house prices down, low interest rates and sky high demand in the private rental sector, buying has never been a better option for those able to secure a mortgage. And with owners reducing prices further in order to achieve a sale before Christmas, there may well not have been a better time to buy in recent times.'
