Private Rents Rising Fastest in Ealing Borough
Increase of over 50% for tenants over the last five years
Tenants in the borough being asked to pay an average of £2,360 a month
July 24, 2025
The Borough of Ealing has had the highest increase in private market rent across the city in the last five years, further fuelling the housing crisis locally.
All London boroughs have seen a sharp increase in the cost of renting, however Ealing has seen a larger increase than any other between December 2019 to December 2024.
This increase of around 52.5 per cent means that “very few properties are affordable to residents”, according to council analysis. The report makes clear that a majority of residents on low to average incomes are becoming priced out of renting in the borough.
The report later reads, “[Few can afford to rent] with the exception of high-income households which leaves those on average and lower incomes struggling, particularly those in receipt of welfare benefits.”
Private rents in Ealing were below the city-wide average as recently as 2020. Yet in just five years, they have doubled in some parts of the borough, which has over 7,500 live applications on its housing register, with 200-250 new applications each month.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked Ealing Council for its understanding of why there has been such a sharp increase, with the average property now costing £2,360 per calendar month to rent.
A spokesperson said, “A number of national and regional factors have caused this steep increase, including a drop in supply as landlords leave the market in response to changes in regulations.
“Ealing-specific factors which may play a role include improved transport connections with the new Elizabeth line and a growth in new purpose-built private sector homes which are generally 20% higher than existing homes but can be up to 40% higher.”
Liberal Democrat Leader in Ealing, Councillor Gary Malcolm, told the LDRS that the council has been too soft on developers. He believes more must be done at a council level to tackle this issue.
He said, “Liberal Democrats say that the Labour-run Ealing Council has allowed developers to rule the roost in Ealing. Developers often build large buildings, with too few truly affordable homes, whilst they are not building the homes they promise, meaning that we have too few homes, so rents are being pushed up.
“Ealing needs to be more proactive and work with both residents and developers to bring forward more mid-level developments to provide quality homes.”
Ealing Council was recently found to have the furthest placement away from the borough when it comes to temporary accommodation, with a family placed in Newcastle since March 2024. A MyLondon investigation found the council also has households placed in Burnley and Birmingham, while other London councils managed to keep people within 30 miles of their borough.
The LDRS also asked the council what work is being done to mitigate the ever-increasing rent in the borough. The council said it cannot control private market rent, however it has regulatory powers to promote good quality homes, and schemes to prevent the conversion of homes into HMOs (House of Multiple Occupation).
Cllr Louise Brett, Ealing Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Safe and Genuinely Affordable Homes, said, “Our new approach to housing builds on the council’s pledge to be open, transparent, and inclusive, and to make sure that local people are at the centre of decisions taken.
“We already have one of the strongest home building records in London, and we want to continue providing the genuinely affordable homes that our residents need, in communities full of pride, identity, and purpose.
“We know that when it comes to building new homes, one size does not fit all, so we are adapting our approach so that we can respond to the different housing needs of each of the borough’s seven towns.”
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter