New figures reveal more people are renting privately in Hartlepool than a decade ago

Data from the 2021 census show 7,194 households in the area were renting privately when it was carried out in March 2021, equivalent to 17.6%% of the 40,929 households in town, compared 14.8% in 2011.

National figures showed there are now five million private renters – 20.3% of households - up from 3.9 million (16.7%) in 2011.

Dan Wilson Craw, deputy director of Generation Rent, said private tenants are “paying high rents to private landlords, face a much greater risk of living in a poor-quality home, and live with the threat of eviction at short notice”.

In Hartlepool, home ownership fell from 32.9% in 2011 to 27.6% a decade later.

A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities said: “Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the Government."