New figures reveal private rent in Oldham has increased rapidly in the past few years as campaigners say tenants are being 'exploited' by a lack of renting protections.

Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show average private rent in Oldham reached £797 per month in the year to September - up 15 per cent from £696 a year prior.

The figure is also significantly higher (by 42 per cent) than the £561 per month average rent in the borough from five years ago.

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However, the type of property to rent also affects the prices which vary from £591 for a one-bed property and £683 for a flat/maisonette to £1,250 for a home with four or more bedrooms.

Regionally across the north west, average rent was £861, representing a nine per cent rise from the year before.

While this suggests Oldham rent is increasing at a much faster rate compared to other boroughs, Trafford had the highest rental cost in the region at an average of £1,270 per month and the lowest rent was in Burnley at an average of £576.

Meanwhile, the average private rent in Great Britain was £1,295 per month.

This was £101, or eight per cent, higher than 12 months ago.

Valuation Office Agency rent officers collect prices from a variety of sources, including landlords and letting agents, with the aim to collect data on approximately 10 per cent of the market.

The data comes as campaign group, Generation Rent, said renters across Britain are being exploited by an "out of control market" and a lack of protections.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said "budget threats" were driving up rents.

She added: "Given the continued exodus of landlords, renters face the double misery of fighting over the scraps and then paying a fortune for them."

Separate ONS figures also show Consumer Price Index inflation has slowed to 1.7 per cent in September, down from 2.2 per cent in August.

Dan Wilson Craw, deputy chief executive of Generation Rent, said: "Our biggest monthly expense is going up far faster than inflation or our wages."

He continued: "Renters are being exploited by an out of control market, and the lack of protections that allow unscrupulous landlords to maximise the rent at every opportunity.

"As a result, renters are unable to save for the future, and many are still making painful decisions about whether to turn the heating on or skip a meal."

He is urging the Government to include protections from unaffordable rent rises in the Renters Rights Bill.

Mr Craw added: "The Government must cap rent increases at the lowest of inflation or wage growth, to stop this huge discrepancy between rent costs and renters’ incomes from widening."

The Government's Renters' Rights Bill returned to parliament for the second reading earlier this month.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "I am determined to get this Bill in to law as soon as possible.

"The thousands of children and families living in unsafe housing or under the cruel threat of a Section 21 eviction notice have been waiting far too long already.

"We will deliver on our promise to renters and transform the sector into one where families can put down roots, where children can grow up in healthy homes, and where young people can save for their future."

How does rent affect you? Send me your thoughts about renting in Oldham to Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk