Rhondda Cynon Taf covers an area of the South Wales Valleys stretching from the Brecon Beacons in the north, to the outskirts of Cardiff in the south. It comprises a mixture of urban, semi-suburban and rural communities, situated in mountains and lowland farmland.
Rhondda Cynon Taf is the second largest Local Authority in Wales, formed in 1996 from the former Boroughs of Rhondda, Cynon Valley and Taff Ely (part). The County Borough covers an area of 424 square kilometres with a population of 231,946 (2001 Census). Strategic highway links with the wider region are provided by the M4, A470 and A465. A range of bus and rail services provides public transportation links across the region.
There are approximately 103,123 dwellings in Rhondda Cynon Taf; of which 74.8% are owner occupied, 14.7% are rented from a housing association and 7.3% are rented from a private landlord. Terraced housing accounts for over half of the dwelling stock (52.80%), with semi-detached (26.30%), detached (12.2%) and flats (8.5%) making up the remainder.
(2008-09 Dwelling Stock Estimate Figures and 2001 Census data)
The property market in the area centres on the following price bands:
However, the number of bedrooms is also a key factor. Current average prices in Rhondda Cynon Taf by bedroom count are:
Hometrack Data, based on sales and valuations, July 2011