The north south divide that exists when it comes to renting a property has been confirmed by the latest statistics from the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS).
The DPS was introduced in April 2007 and took the responsibility for holding deposits away from residential landlords and letting agents. Instead it holds tenants deposits for the term of the rental period after which it is paid back to whoever is entitled to it, plus a portion of the interest.
The DPS study was based on the average size of deposit in geographical areas, broken down by local authority.
It found all the top 10 most expensive areas to rent are in the South with the majority of cheapest places in the North. The anomaly at number is South Hams, in Devon which came out as the cheapest place in the South of England to rent, with an average deposit of £400.
Westminster has an average deposit of just over £1,900 making it the most expensive place to rent according to the DPS figures.
The 10 most expensive areas are:
1. Westminster
2. City of London
3. Islington
4. Tower Hamlets
5. Kensington and Chelsea
6. Tandridge
7. Wandsworth
8. South Buckinghamshire
9. Richmond upon Thames
10. Camden
The 10 least expensive rental areas are:
1. Sedgefield
2. Hartlepool
3. Lancaster
4. Easington
5. South Ribble
6. Kingston upon Hull
7. Wear Valley
8. Middlesbrough
9. South Hams
10. Berwick upon Tweed
