Rental housing in the UK, has gone absolutely crazy?

I am, like many of you no doubt will be, a private renter. Yes, maybe I shouldn't have bought those few cups of hot chocolate on the way to work years ago and hustled instead so I could have bought a house mortgage free by 21 but here we are. Unfortunately don't have handouts from family nor anyone who will leave me it all looking like they will pop their cloud anytime soon.

I have just this week moved properties. The property I was in, was absolutely lovely - a Georgian house split up into four flats, all very tastefully done up etc, original wooden floors etc. It was nice, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed living there. The big unpleasantness was the Landlord - a early 70s? chap who already has more cash than I'll ever make in my life, and who was an absolute "delight" to put it politely (narcissistic, always trying to "one up", sent snotty emails on a whim about problems that were literally not a problem, and threatened us with eviction for a pure accident where the bathroom sink got cracked (side note, it was £150 max run of the mill from the local DIY chain, but you'd have thought it was the original sink from 1836 when the house was built judged by his reaction) - you get the picture). It got to the point we felt walking on eggshells with him just waiting for the next ranty email or arsey text message. He also would pop around unannounced as well to do "maintenance" to the property like cut the lawn or plant flowers which to me, Mr Cynical, felt more like he was on a spying mission.

With our lease coming to an end mid July, and I'd got to my wits end of him, I made the decision it was time to move. I was expecting he wanted us gone anyway, judging by the last six months, so I braced myself and beat him to the punch and handed my notice in before he filed a eviction notice at end of term. I can't confidently say he would have but that's what my gut told me and it's very rarely wrong.

Looking at rental prices....wow! Granted, when i moved into the aforementioned property it was three years ago and I felt at the time the rental price was quite steep for what it was. Landlord had readvertised it at an extra £150 pcm by the way. It got to a point where I seriously was debating just sucking it up and staying put. Properties within our budget seemed to be overbooked on viewings within half an hour of a listing going live. Some letting agents were even requiring filled out application forms just to secure a viewing. It was honestly nuts. Even when we did have a viewing booked, both properties were taken before we'd even had chance to view ourselves.

Thankfully, my wife's stepfather owns his own two bed flat and offered us it, for a bit cheaper than what we were paying. Nowhere near as nice, granted - definitely your "bog standard" two bed flat, parking may be a bit tricky, and we're a bit further out of town. However, even for six months or so, it'll certainly do the job and for me at least, rids us of our lovely ex Landlord.

I'm thankful it popped up as is it just me or have UK rental prices shot up yet again? There were some very similar flats to what I'm in now for as much as my previous landlord has put my old one up for. Plus the security deposit seems to have climbed another couple of hundred quid or so as well.

Seems you won't get much change out of £1.5-£2,000 for renting a property, paying first rent and security deposit, never mind all the other costs of moving house.

For reference I am in a town just outside the Lake District national park in the northwest of England.