This often ignores the cost of council rates, insurance, loan interest, etc. You need to be able to afford more than just rent to own. But if the bank approves you, it’s likely right because they don’t want to give loans that people can’t afford.
No, it's pretty common that people end up paying more in rent than they would for a mortgage. You could maybe argue that the job security is what is priced into this, but it happens to working professionals too.
I can see this being true in some markets, but the places where we talk about house prices going crazy, they are doing so not just in absolute terms but in proportion to rents.