The latest research from accommodationforstudents.com shows a sharp increase in student rents in 2010. The average weekly student rent now stands at £65.30, 4.3% higher than last year (£62.61). The previous two years’ increases were just 1.6% and 1.7%. Since 2004, when the average rent was £52.44, rents have risen 25%.

Rents are highest in the South East, which hosts 8 out of the 10 most expensive student locations. London leads the way with an average rent of over £100 per week, with Guildford, Uxbridge, Cambridge, Middlesex, Egham and Brighton all weighing in with rents of over £80 per week.

The company has published its latest table of student rents throughout the UK to coincide with the A-Level results, released on Thursday, 19th August, 2010. The stats are based on nearly 60,000 properties in 83 cities across the UK.

Some traditional English redbrick universities: Liverpool (£55.49), Birmingham (£57.30), Manchester (£60.12), and Sheffield (£60.14) are still below the average UK weekly student rent of £65.30.

Best value locations in terms of student rental accommodation are Middlesbrough, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockton with average weekly rents of £41.47, £42.65 and £44.71 respectively.

Simon Thompson, co-founder and director of Accommodation for Students, said: “Students who are going through the Clearing process are unlikely to be able to find university accommodation for their first year and so it is really helpful to know precisely how much they will have to pay for private rented accommodation.”

Thompson added: “Minimum down payments for buy-to-let mortgages are now 20-25% - it really has become a cash buyers’ market! With more equity now tied up in their properties many landlords have been forced to increase rent in order to make a return on investment.”