Private rents in Arun have risen to an average of £1,231 a month, while 388 homelessness cases were linked to the ending of private rented tenancies or rent arrears, according to the council.
The average private rent in the district rose by 3.1% in the year to August 2026, up from £1,194 in August 2025.
This increase was slightly higher than the average of 3% recorded across the South East.
The figures come as the Green Party has proposed a three-year cap on private rent increases.
The proposal was announced at the party’s annual conference in Brighton and would see rent increases limited to the lowest of CPI inflation, wage growth or 2%.
Green Party leader, Zack Polanski said: “For too long, landlords have been able to hike prices way above wages, leaving renters forced to meet the cost of just keeping a roof over their head, cutting back and back on everything else.”
“That’s why today we are calling on this government to put in place a three-year emergency break on private rents.”
“That emergency break would give renters vital breathing space, let wages begin to catch up with the rents that have outstripped them for far too long.”
The party also wants to introduce a national “Fair Rents Guarantee” in the longer term.
A spokesperson from Arun District Council said: “Rising private rents are one of many factors contributing to homelessness and increasing demand for temporary accommodation.”
“As rental costs continue to rise, some households find it increasingly difficult to secure or sustain accommodation in the private rented sector, particularly where incomes do not keep pace with housing costs.”
They added that more affordable rents and greater security for tenants could help prevent some households from becoming homeless.
However, it said the impact of a rent cap would depend on how it was designed and introduced.
It also said wider impacts would need to be considered, including whether a cap could affect the supply of private rented homes or landlords’ willingness to continue renting out their properties.
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