"What's most interesting is that it's not only well-connected commuter towns on this list. Some of these areas don't have the fast public transport links that have long dictated where flatsharers, who trended towards young professionals, live"
- Matt Hutchinson - SpareRoom
Affordable seaside towns and historic market towns are seeing some of the sharpest rises in flatshare rental demand in the UK, according to SpareRoom's analysis of more than 241 million area search terms entered by visitors to the site in 2025.
Weston-Super-Mare, Herne Bay and Burnham-on-Sea feature among the coastal locations recording significant search increases, alongside market towns such as Baldock, Corsham and Sherborne. Topping the list is Waltham Abbey in Essex, where searches have more than doubled.
Five seaside towns appear within SpareRoom's list of 28 areas where searches rose by more than 50%: Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset (pictured) (+62%), Herne Bay in Kent (+55%), Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset (+54%), Paignton in Devon (+53%) and Whitstable in Kent (+53%). Further up the rankings, Helston in Cornwall and Bideford in north Devon both recorded 70% increases.
Affordability appears to be the defining factor. Renter searches for Brighton, one of the pricier seaside cities, fell by more than a fifth (-21%), with average room rents there now running at £730 per month based on Q1 2026 data. Every seaside town featuring in SpareRoom's analysis carries average rents well below that level.
The same pattern holds for market towns. Waltham Abbey, roughly an hour's commute from central London, has an average monthly room rent of £784, saving renters around £2,328 per year compared with inner London, where average rooms run at £978 per month. It is joined on the list by Baldock in Hertfordshire (+62%), Corsham in the Cotswolds (+60%) and Sherborne in Dorset (+51%).
The broader context is one of sustained rental inflation. The average UK room rent now stands at £747 per month, 30% above the Q1 2020 figure of £574. That translates to £2,076 more per year for the average renter than before the pandemic. Flatsharing remains the most affordable way to rent, yet even flatsharers are moving away from expensive cities to bring costs down.
"Searches offer a good gauge of where the rental market is heading," said Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.
"They indicate people aren't just chasing cheaper rents but a different way of living too. Think panoramic views or the comfort of community. Many of these places that are rising in popularity are cheaper to live in than major cities, but not cheap enough to live alone.
"What's most interesting is that it's not only well-connected commuter towns on this list. Some of these areas don't have the fast public transport links that have long dictated where flatsharers, who trended towards young professionals, live."
The shift also reflects a changing demographic. Longer-term rent rises have pushed more people into flatsharing well into their 40s, 50s and beyond, priced out of both home ownership and renting alone. Remote working has removed the need to be near an office for many, making coastal and rural locations viable in a way they previously weren't.
"Today we have more people flatsharing well into their 40s, 50s and beyond because years of rent rises have made buying and even renting alone unaffordable," Hutchinson added.
"Remote working is an enabler too. Many of those looking to flatshare in seaside towns will either not have an office to visit or will only be going in every so often. The trouble is flatsharers are fighting for supply in areas where holiday lets have consumed rental stock. For those landlords concerned about seasonal voids, and the impact of holiday lets on local communities, this rising demand from tenants might compel them to consider the rental market."
