How can people afford to rent anymore?

[funnymummy]

I was paying less then £500 a month mortgage on my 3 bed Terraced house.
I have been renting for the last 6 years, I'm currently paying £860 for a 3 bed semi - I do get £122 a month 'housing allowance' benefit as my son is disabled.
I could get another mortgage, but as i'm on a low income i'd need at least £40K deposit... No chnace!

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Houses are inefficient use of space, so what we actually need are purpose-built flats, but we in the UK are psychologically unable to make use of them ("no investment opportunity", "scummy renters", etc) so none get built. Look to other countries, where the average working person rents a decent apartment (purpose built, not some crappy loft conversion/extension to someone's creaky house) at reasonable price, and isn't considered a loser or yuppie.

I think this may be changing in the cities at least, in London (south of the Thames) it seems to me that there are now several purpose built apartments which make good use of light/space and have balconies. But I guess the average Londoner has a different idea of space to the average non-Londoner, especially given the shortage of space in London but at the same time the easy access to 'the outdoors' in the form of the Royal Parks.