Ealing, one of the more dynamic boroughs of West London, has been facing a drastic spike in rent prices. Ealing’s rents have surged to 6,356, an increase of over 9.3% just in the year of 2024 so far. Currently the average rent is £2,089 per calendar month, the fourth highest increase in inner London. A booming demand for housing is fueling this trend. This is evident from the 7,500 applications waiting list on Ealing’s housing register.
These findings come from a borough that still receives up to 200-250 new housing applications a month. This tsunami of requests is a welcome sign of the growing pressure on local governments to take action and help solve our housing crisis. Ealing, with an average rent of £338 pppw, is particularly eye-catching. It’s well above the London average of £2,071 and almost double the national average of £1,284. Today, Londoners – even those from Ealing – pay an eye-popping 37.9% of their gross pay packet on rent. That’s the worst rate of any region in the UK.
The rising housing costs are superimposed over a newly expanded transportation infrastructure in the area. The Elizabeth line, which opened in 2022, serves two stations in Ealing. As a result it has rapidly transformed itself into the busiest per mile railway service in the UK. This development has further stimulated interest in the borough, encouraging more individuals and families to seek accommodation in the region.
Indeed, the relentless pace and price-leaping crunching nature of Ealing’s rental market is illustrative of what has been happening across London as a whole. The borough has faced issues that come with housing growing quickly — like a lack of availability and affordability. Local authorities are under tremendous pressure to provide real solutions. They need to pump up the growing tide of people moving there while keeping new housing in reach of long-time folks and newcomers.
