When Savills residential research associate Chris Buckle mapped 2001 and 2011 census data to find out which areas of London had seen the biggest rise in private sector renting over a ten year period, he found the pattern of growth followed the route of planned commuting train Crossrail as well as existing transport links.

He told Mortgage Solutions: “What the map shows is that it is about the transport links. Travel times are one of the key demands associated with housing.

“Where you have got Crossrail stations you get development and people like buy-to-let landlords and institutional investors buying for investment purposes.”

The map, below, shows areas where the number of households in rented accommodation has grown significantly tend to be clustered around transport links.

The patch of dark red near the river depicts the Royal Docks, an area serviced by the District Light Railway and soon to be connected to the city centre via Crossrail. New stations on this line are primarily concentrated in central and east London.

By contrast, some of the areas which experienced a decline in renting households were situated furthest from the transport lines.

New stations on the Crossrail route

The same area in terms of private rental sector growth