'If you've got money, you're fine. If you don't, they don't give a damn'

It’s the borough where rent prices have gone up more than anywhere else in Greater Manchester.

Renters living in Salford have seen their housing costs rise dramatically in recent years – leaving many fearful they might not be able to keep a roof above their heads.

The average rent in Salford in March 2015 was £633, around 37.5 per cent of the area’s typical take-home pay.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link

But that went up to £1,021 a month in March 2024 – the largest percentage increase across the whole of Greater Manchester.

The rise has left locals worried for the future as they struggle to make ends meet. “You have to rob Peter to pay Paul,” a 34-year-old mum, who did not wish to give her name, told the Manchester Evening News.

“I’ve had to give up any luxuries. I can’t take my son on days out. It does affect you – even when you’re working. You’re constantly thinking about money and whether you’ve got enough.”

While rent prices in the borough have gone up by 61 per cent since March 2015, take-home pay has only increased by 25.9 per cent over the same period.

And it’s not just Salford that has seen large rent increases. People in Manchester spend more than half of their take-home pay on rent, exclusive analysis by the MEN's data unitrecently revealed.

Rent prices in the city have gone up twice as fast as wages over the last nine years, now costing £1,194 a month on average in the year to March 2024.

That’s up by 51.5 per cent since March 2015, when the average home in the city cost £788 a month to rent.

“My rent has gone up a good 20 per cent,” the worried mum continued. “It mounts up, especially when you have no family support around you who can help with childcare.