london's essential workers need two full-time jobs to afford rent

Nov 22, 2025 UK News views: 119

Key workers in the capital are spending huge portions of their income on rent (Picture: Getty Images)

London’s sky-high rent prices are well known,but recent data suggests many essential workers would need to work almost two full-time jobs to afford to live in the capital.

The study by SpareRoom reveals that someone earning the National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour must work 63 hours a week to maintain rent payments within the accepted affordability threshold of 30% of their income.

Even with expected increases in the National Living Wage to £12.70,the required hours would only reduce slightly to 60 per week.

And those earning the voluntary London Living Wage of £14.80 would still need to work approximately 52 hours weekly to cover typical rent expenses.

Rents in London have surged by 37% over the past five years,and Matt Hutchinson,director of SpareRoom,stated that a gross annual salary of around £39,804 is required to afford an average room costing £995 per month in London.

This amount far surpasses the earnings of many frontline and key workers,such as nursery assistants,who currently allocate nearly half (49%) of their income to rent.

Hutchinson highlighted the indispensable role essential workers play in the city’s operation and warned that long,costly commutes to suburban or commuter locations in pursuit of affordable housing are an unsustainable long-term solution.

He said: ‘Renter demand continues to build in suburban and commuter towns like Esher,Twickenham and Aldershot,as people head further afield in search of cheaper rents.

‘But long,expensive commutes are not the answer to the capital’s housing problems,and especially not for lower-paid shift workers who may be working long or antisocial hours.’

Commuting into London isn’t a practical option for many essential workers (Picture: Getty Images)

He added that this rental affordability crisis extends beyond London,constituting an emerging national issue affecting other urban areas.

Supporting these findings,data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published earlier this year indicated tenants across England now spend on average 36.3% of their income on rent,exceeding the standard affordability guideline of 30%.

This burden is more pronounced in London,where renters allocate 41.6% of their earnings to housing,with some boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea reaching as high as 74.3%.

And the rapid increase in rental prices has outpaced mortgage repayment growth between 2022 and 2025.

Average UK rents have risen 21% to £221 per month,according to Zoopla,whereas average monthly mortgage payments increased by approximately £218 during the same period.

Meanwhile,research from Shelter England further underscores the struggle faced by essential workers.

Their analysis reveals that private renting is unaffordable for newly qualified nurses in nearly half of England’s local authorities.

In London and the South East,the problem is even more severe,with 93% of local authorities reporting private rentals are out of reach for new nurses.

Similar affordability challenges affect other key workers such as teachers and healthcare assistants,signalling a systemic issue threatening the retention and welfare of critical public sector staff.

Last year,London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan proposed the introduction of rent-controlled ‘Key Worker Living Rent’ homes.

This initiative aims to set rents at 40% of the average key worker household income,potentially saving tenants up to £600 per month compared to private rent.