Housing association L&Q is highlighting Intermediate Market Rent as an alternative for working households struggling with the cost of renting privately.
Intermediate Market Rent (IMR) typically offers homes at around 20% below comparable local market rents and is designed for households whose incomes may be too high for social housing but insufficient to comfortably meet private rental costs.
L&Q currently offers IMR properties across London and the South East, ranging from city-centre apartments to family homes.
The push comes against a backdrop of continued rental affordability pressures, with average UK private rents reaching £1,367 a month in January 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics.
BRIDGING THE AFFORDABILITY GAP
IMR sits between social housing and the conventional private rented sector and is aimed primarily at working households, including key workers, who meet the relevant eligibility requirements.
Unlike Shared Ownership, tenants do not purchase a stake in their property, instead renting the home at a discounted rate.
The model can therefore provide an alternative for households which are not ready or able to buy but are finding open-market rents increasingly difficult to afford.
L&Q says its IMR properties are professionally managed by the housing association, with developments typically located close to transport connections, employment centres and local amenities.
ALTERNATIVE TO PRIVATE RENTING
Andrea Palmer, Head of Intermediate Rent at L&Q, says: “With rental affordability continuing to be a significant challenge for many households, Intermediate Market Rent plays an important role in improving access to quality housing.
“The product is designed to support people who may not qualify for social housing, but who are finding the private rental market increasingly difficult to afford.”
