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The Hidden Crisis Facing the Area’s 50- and 60-Something Renters
You’ve heard of retirement.
But what about ‘rentirement’?
It’s not a typo.
It's a ticking time bomb.
There are 4,036 households in Wolverhampton, aged between their early 50s and mid-60s, renting privately, not owning the Wolverhampton homes they live in. They're heading towards retirement age with no bricks and mortar, and the implications for them, their families, and Wolverhampton's social and economic infrastructure are vast.
Let’s call this what it is: a slow-moving crisis wrapped in letting agent “to let” boards and fuelled by decades of housing policy that prioritised homeownership above all else, leaving some behind.
What is ‘Rentirement’?
“Rentirement” is a blend of the words “rent” and “retirement,” referring to those entering their mature years still renting their homes rather than owning them. It’s not a lifestyle choice for most. It’s a result of economic reality.
Unlike traditional retirees who may have cleared their mortgages and can rely on relatively low housing costs, ‘rentirees’ are staring down the barrel of paying rent every single month for the rest of their lives. And with the Wolverhampton average rent at £830 per month, that’s no small chunk of their limited retirement income.
The numbers behind the problem
The average 50- to mid-60-something single person retiring in Wolverhampton is likely to rely on a monthly income of around £1,208. That includes the state pension of £756 per month, perhaps a modest private pension topping it up. This leaves very little breathing space once rent is paid.
Let us do the maths:
£830 monthly rent over 20 years = £199,200 per household.
Multiply that by 4,036 Wolverhampton renters aged 50-65 years, and we’re looking at a combined cost of £40,198,560 a year or £804 million over the next 20 years.
That money comes either from these tenants' monthly income or savings or is subsidised by the taxpayer through housing support.
It’s not sustainable. And it’s not talked about enough.
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Are you considering moving home in Wolverhampton over the next 6 to 12 months? You may be a Wolverhampton landlord deciding whether to grow your portfolio or sell off a few properties. Or you're a Wolverhampton first-time buyer wondering if 2025 is the right time to move.
Understanding whether the current property market favours buyers or sellers is key to making the right call.
If you follow our regular Wolverhampton property updates, you’ll know one of the most reliable ways to assess the market is by looking at the percentage of homes marked as "Sold STC" or "Under Offer" compared to the total number of properties on the market.
Let’s show that in practice. For example, if say there are 500 properties on the market in a location, and 200 are under offer or Sold STC then 200 as a percentage of 500, gives us a sales percentage of 40%. It is this percentage that strongly indicates the local property market temperature and who holds the upper hand, i.e. buyers or sellers (or somewhere in between).
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As we move into early summer 2025, Wolverhampton's property market paints a bleak picture—especially for first-time buyers. Headlines scream that getting a foot on the ladder is harder than ever, and for many, that feels painfully true. With the average first-time buyer deposit in 2024 hitting a staggering £61,000, dreams of homeownership are slipping further out of reach.
Soaring rents and the ever-rising cost of living have created a perfect storm. Young buyers are told to save more, spend less, and be patient—advice that rings hollow when house prices continue climbing faster than salaries. For many in Wolverhampton and beyond, the idea of owning a home now feels more like a fantasy than a future plan.
Most people instinctively turn to the house price-to-earnings ratio (HPER) as the go-to benchmark for affordability.
In 1983, the West Midlands house price-to-earnings ratio
was 2.46; today it's 4.74.
i.e. today, the average house price is 4.74 times more than the average annual income of a first-time buyer.
On the face of it, it is a lot more expensive to buy a home today than, say, the early 1980s. After all, if house prices are nearly five times the average salary, it certainly feels more expensive than when they were almost two and a half times.
But… let's just hold on a second. Before accepting the headlines at face value, let's look under the bonnet and examine the stats.
First-time buyers with a decent credit history (and have since 2010) can obtain a 95% mortgage, meaning they would only need to save for a 5% deposit.
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The private rental sector in Wolverhampton has seen a 34.5% increase in average rents since 2016, according to data compiled by TwentyEA and Denton House Research. That headline statistic is bound to catch a lot of attention. For tenants, it may raise concerns. For Wolverhampton landlords, it is a sense of validation after years of rising costs. But as with all things property-related, the truth sits somewhere in the middle—and understanding the context is essential if we’re to have a meaningful conversation about the future of renting.
Wages and Rents: A Surprisingly Similar Trajectory
Looking nationally, what's particularly interesting is how rental growth has aligned with wage growth over the same period. Since 2016, the average UK salary has increased from £28,195 to £37,430—a rise of 32.75%. During that time, the average UK private rent increased by 33.1%.
This correlation tells us something important: rents haven't been rising wildly out of step with what tenants can broadly afford. They're not being driven by greed or opportunism but by the limits of affordability. In other words, most tenants are paying what they can pay—and landlords are charging what the market will bear. While that's a small comfort to someone struggling with rising bills, it does offer a broader economic context. Rent rises are, in effect, following the same path as wages and inflation.
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In today’s Wolverhampton housing market, property market data isn't just helpful – it's essential. For Wolverhampton homeowners and landlords looking to buy or sell a home, understanding the latest Wolverhampton property trends, buyer behaviour, or house pricing movements is the difference between making a confident move and flying blind.
Data reveals where the market has been, where it’s heading, and how to position a home for success. It cuts through the noise, replaces guesswork with insight, and empowers better decisions. When used well, property data also becomes a seller's compass and, subsequently, as a buyer, the edge as well—guiding your strategy, pricing, and timing in a property market that’s constantly shifting. In short, those who understand the data of the Wolverhampton property market (and the UK as a whole) move smarter. And those who ignore it risk being left behind.
The property market in Wolverhampton has seen a notable transformation in recent years.
Each week in our blog posts, we use data to share our thoughts about the Wolverhampton property market. This week we are going to look at the number of Wolverhampton homes for sale on a month-by-month basis and then compare that with the volume of sales agreed (sold subject to contract—SSTC) on a month-by-month basis between January 2020 and March 2025.
From that information, we can show the direction of the local property market by calculating the percentage of Wolverhampton homes each month that have been selling.
