# Private renting: highest and lowest councils in East of England (2021)

Cambridge had the highest share of households renting privately of East of England’s 45 councils in 2021, at 31.4%.

Rochford had the lowest, at 10.7%. The middle council, St Albans, had 16.3%.

| Rank | Area | Private rented homes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Cambridge](https://openindex.co.uk/cambridge) | 31.4% |
| 2 | [Luton](https://openindex.co.uk/luton) | 29.0% |
| 3 | [Watford](https://openindex.co.uk/watford) | 28.2% |
| 4 | [Norwich](https://openindex.co.uk/norwich) | 26.9% |
| 5 | [Southend-on-Sea](https://openindex.co.uk/southend-on-sea) | 26.5% |
| 6 | [Peterborough](https://openindex.co.uk/peterborough) | 24.4% |
| 7 | [Ipswich](https://openindex.co.uk/ipswich) | 23.0% |
| 8 | [West Suffolk](https://openindex.co.uk/west-suffolk) | 22.4% |
| =9 | [Colchester](https://openindex.co.uk/colchester) | 21.5% |
| =9 | [Great Yarmouth](https://openindex.co.uk/great-yarmouth) | 21.5% |
| 11 | [Fenland](https://openindex.co.uk/fenland) | 20.0% |
| 12 | [Tendring](https://openindex.co.uk/tendring) | 19.8% |
| 13 | [Bedford](https://openindex.co.uk/bedford) | 19.1% |
| 14 | [King's Lynn and West Norfolk](https://openindex.co.uk/kings-lynn-and-west-norfolk) | 18.8% |
| 15 | [Thurrock](https://openindex.co.uk/thurrock) | 18.3% |
| 16 | [Breckland](https://openindex.co.uk/breckland) | 18.1% |
| =17 | [East Suffolk](https://openindex.co.uk/east-suffolk) | 17.6% |
| =17 | [North Norfolk](https://openindex.co.uk/north-norfolk) | 17.6% |
| 19 | [Hertsmere](https://openindex.co.uk/hertsmere) | 17.3% |
| 20 | [Huntingdonshire](https://openindex.co.uk/huntingdonshire) | 16.8% |
| 21 | [East Cambridgeshire](https://openindex.co.uk/east-cambridgeshire) | 16.5% |
| 22 | [Welwyn Hatfield](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield) | 16.4% |
| 23 | [St Albans](https://openindex.co.uk/st-albans) | 16.3% |
| 24 | [East Hertfordshire](https://openindex.co.uk/east-hertfordshire) | 16.1% |
| =25 | [Brentwood](https://openindex.co.uk/brentwood) | 16.0% |
| =25 | [Broxbourne](https://openindex.co.uk/broxbourne) | 16.0% |
| 27 | [Chelmsford](https://openindex.co.uk/chelmsford) | 15.5% |
| =28 | [Harlow](https://openindex.co.uk/harlow) | 15.4% |
| =28 | [North Hertfordshire](https://openindex.co.uk/north-hertfordshire) | 15.4% |
| 30 | [Braintree](https://openindex.co.uk/braintree) | 15.1% |
| 31 | [Stevenage](https://openindex.co.uk/stevenage) | 15.0% |
| 32 | [Epping Forest](https://openindex.co.uk/epping-forest) | 14.9% |
| 33 | [Babergh](https://openindex.co.uk/babergh) | 14.8% |
| 34 | [Uttlesford](https://openindex.co.uk/uttlesford) | 14.5% |
| 35 | [Dacorum](https://openindex.co.uk/dacorum) | 14.3% |
| 36 | [Basildon](https://openindex.co.uk/basildon) | 14.2% |
| =37 | [Castle Point](https://openindex.co.uk/castle-point) | 14.0% |
| =37 | [South Cambridgeshire](https://openindex.co.uk/south-cambridgeshire) | 14.0% |
| 39 | [South Norfolk](https://openindex.co.uk/south-norfolk) | 13.9% |
| =40 | [Central Bedfordshire](https://openindex.co.uk/central-bedfordshire) | 13.7% |
| =40 | [Mid Suffolk](https://openindex.co.uk/mid-suffolk) | 13.7% |
| 42 | [Three Rivers](https://openindex.co.uk/three-rivers) | 13.4% |
| 43 | [Broadland](https://openindex.co.uk/broadland) | 12.3% |
| 44 | [Maldon](https://openindex.co.uk/maldon) | 11.8% |
| 45 | [Rochford](https://openindex.co.uk/rochford) | 10.7% |

Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, ONS Census 2021. Period: 2021. Period: 2021.

## Other rankings of this measure

- [UK](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/uk)
- [England](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/england)
- [Northern Ireland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/northern-ireland)
- [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/scotland)
- [Wales](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/wales)
- [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/north-east)
- [North West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/north-west)
- [Yorkshire and The Humber](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/yorkshire-and-the-humber)
- [East Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/east-midlands)
- [West Midlands](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/west-midlands)
- [London](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/london)
- [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/south-east)
- [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/south-west)

- [The map](https://openindex.co.uk/map/private-rented)
- [Source and method](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/private-rented)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/east-of-england.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.11. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/rankings/private-rented/east-of-england