It’s the Greater Manchester town where rent prices have gone up faster than anywhere else in England.
Those living in Bolton have seen renting costs soar quicker than most places in the UK, coming second only to Glasgow.
But there are many struggling to cope with their skyrocketing bills – leaving some feeling like they’re “not living, just existing”.
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Among those is mum-of-one Yvonne Lane, who says her family find themselves living payslip to payslip every single month.
“I worry,” the 47-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “We’ve been in rent arrears before and cleared them, but I worry I’m not going to be able to keep the roof over our heads.”
Yvonne, who lives in Bolton, had worked in customer service all her life until her son turned three and she became his carer.
The mum claims disability allowance due to her osteoarthritis, a condition that causes joints to become painful and stiff. The illness means she regularly needs her heating on as cold temperatures can trigger her symptoms.
“I worry about not being warm,” she added. “I worry about making sure there’s food in the house. I worry that I’ll need help when I can’t get any more.
“If I stay in, I don’t spend anything, so I find that I’ll force myself to stay in the house to make sure I don’t spend any money so I have it for essentials.
“We don’t go on weekends away or days out. We’re always watching the pennies, working from one payday to the next. You’re not living, you’re just existing. It gives you nothing to look forward to.”
Yvonne says her rent has gone up but the condition of her home continues to deteriorate. “I can’t say I’m happy about it,” she added.
“The rent has gone up but nothing is being done with the house. The walls are crumbling, there are things that are in need of fixing.
It’s not easy. I’m just about managing. It’s a worry – very much so.”
Commuter towns are seeing rent prices soar because city centre living has become unattainable for so many, new research has found.
According to data from property website Zoopla, which was provided to the BBC, rents are rising faster in Bolton than they are in Manchester.
Meanwhile, tenants in Manchester, Bolton and Wigan have all seen rent increases outpacing wage growth.
Anthony Hamer, who lives in Farnworth, has also seen his rent increase recently. “It’s not too bad, but it’s hard,” the 65-year-old told the MEN. “You’ve got to be careful.
“I also think water rates are too high and they should put the TV licence down a bit. It does worry me because things are going up but wages aren’t.”
William and Jacqueline Hewell, both 75, live in the Kearsley area of Bolton. While they own their property, the couple say they feel sorry for renters today.
“It’s awful,” Jacqueline said. “I do feel sorry for them – and some of the conditions you see on telly. It’s exploitation.
“There’s a family across the road from us who pay £700-a-month in rent. They both work, but you think, how can they get £700 a month?”
A study recently found that in Bolton, an average monthly let cost £569 in December 2020 and rose to £789 by December 2023, a 38.7 per cent increase.
That’s a faster rate than in Manchester, where the average figure rose by 37.8 per cent from £776 a month in December 2020 to £1,069 in December 2023.
Bolton had the second-highest rent increase over that period in Zoopla’s research, behind Glasgow, while Manchester was third.
Wigan was sixth on the list, with a rise of 35.5 per cent, and Rochdale ninth at 33.7 per cent.
Last year alone, Bolton experienced the highest rent rise of any UK area in the Zoopla survey, at 14.8 per cent.
Richard Donnell, executive director of research at Zoopla, said: “Rents have risen fastest in UK cities, but affordability pressures have pushed renters to seek better value for money in commuter towns where there are more homes for rent.
“Big cities have led the way on rental growth as demand rises in the face of static rental supply – we have the same number of rented homes as in 2016.
“We simply aren’t building enough homes, especially for those on mid to lower incomes.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
