The average agreed rent for new tenancies in the UK ranged from *** British pounds to ***** British pounds, depending on the region. On average, renters outside of London paid ***** British pounds, whereas in London, this figure amounted to ***** British pounds. Rents have been on the rise for many years, but the period after the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend. Since 2015, the average rent in the UK increased by about ** percent, with about half of that gain achieved in the period after the pandemic. Why have UK rents increased so much? One of the main reasons driving up rental prices is the declining affordability of homeownership. Historically, house prices grew faster than rents, making renting more financially feasible than buying. In 2022, when the house price to rent ratio index peaked, house prices had outgrown rents by nearly ** percent since 2015. As house prices peaked in 2022, home buying slowed, exacerbating demand for rental properties and leading to soaring rental prices. How expensive is too expensive? Although there is no official requirement about the proportion of income spent on rent for it to be considered affordable, a popular rule is that rent should not exceed more than ** percent of income. In 2024, most renters in the UK exceeded that threshold, with the southern regions significantly more likely to spend upward of ** percent of their income on rent. Rental affordability has sparked a move away from the capital to other regions in the UK, such as the South East (Brighton and Southampton), the West Midlands (Birmingham) and the North West (Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool and Preston).

Between 2008 and 2024, the average weekly rent for private renters in England has shown a significant increase. In the 2009, the average rent was 153 British pounds, and by 2024, it had risen to 237 British pounds. Excluding London, the average rent started at 130 British pounds in 2009 and reached 191 British pounds in 2024, demonstrating a similar upward trend but at a lower rate compared to the overall average in England. Rental households in England Renting is common in England. Nearly one in five households occupied a dwelling that was privately rented in 2024. While the majority of households in the country live in an owner-occupied home, this percentage has declined since the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the share of households occupying a private rental has doubled over the past decade. This shows a growing rental sector and a shift in tenure trends in the country. Buying vs renting costs For a long time, the average monthly costs of buying a home were lower than renting. In 2021, housing costs started to increase steeply, closely followed by rental costs. This resulted in the gap nearly closing in 2023. This trend can also be observed through the house price to rent ratio - an index that follows the development of house prices relative to rents, with 2015 as a baseline year. Between 2015 and 2022, the ratio grew steadily, indicating that property prices rise faster than rents. However, with rental growth accelerating and catching up with property prices in 2022, the index declined notably.

Median monthly rental prices for the private rental market in England by bedroom category, region and administrative area, calculated using data from the Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics.

Renting an apartment in Cambridge cost on average more than ***** British pounds per month in December 2023, making it the most expensive cities for renters in the UK after London. In London, the average rent ranged between ***** British pounds and ***** British pounds depending on the location. On the other hand, Northern Ireland, Wales, and North East were the regions with the most affordable rents.

The average monthly home rental payment in the United Kingdom (UK) increased steadily since 2008, reaching 1, 258 British pounds in December 2023. In comparison, the average home buying costs amounted to 1,231 British Pounds that year, meaning that homeowners saved 27 British pounds monthly from the difference.

Rental price statistics historical data time series (indices and annual percentage change). These are official statistics in development.

The average weekly rent of social renters in England increased by about 47 British pounds from 2009 to 2024. From a value of 71 British pounds per week in 2009, social housing rent rose to a value of 118 British pounds per week in 2024. In 2024, around four million houses were being rented out socially.

Rent Inflation in the United Kingdom decreased to 4.40 percent in August from 4.50 percent in July of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom Rent Inflation.

Presents information on the average weekly rents for rented Registered Social Landlord dwellings by local authority district, county and region in England. Source agency: Communities and Local Government Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Registered Social Landlord average weekly rents, England

Presents information on the average weekly rents for rented local authority dwellings in England.

This release has now been replaced by Local Authority Housing Statistics: Local Authority-owned stock and stock management which will be released on Thursday 20th December 2012.

Source agency: Communities and Local Government

Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Local Authority Average Weekly Rents By District, England

Summary of average monthly rents in private rental market, recorded per 12 month rolling period.

Data updated bi-annually by local authority areas for England. These statistics used to be produced quarterly but since 2013 have been updated bi-annually in Q1 and Q3 only.

VOA note on these statistics: "The sample used to produce these statistics is not statistical and may not be consistent over time as such these data should not be compared across time periods or between areas."
This table only reflects the data available from the VOA and does not indicate level of statistical significance of the differences between areas or changes over time.

The release presents the mean (average), median, lower quartile, and upper quartile gross monthly rent paid (ignoring any adjustment for services not eligible for housing benefit), for a number of bedroom/room categories for each Local Authority (LA) in England for the 12 month period stated. Full set of local authority tables available on the VOA website.

Summary of average monthly rents in private rental market, recorded per 12 month rolling period. Data updated bi-annually by local authority areas for England. These statistics used to be produced quarterly but since 2013 have been updated bi-annually in Q1 and Q3 only. VOA note on these statistics: "The sample used to produce these statistics is not statistical and may not be consistent over time as such these data should not be compared across time periods or between areas." This table only reflects the data available from the VOA and does not indicate level of statistical significance of the differences between areas or changes over time. The release presents the mean (average), median, lower quartile, and upper quartile gross monthly rent paid (ignoring any adjustment for services not eligible for housing benefit), for a number of bedroom/room categories for each Local Authority (LA) in England for the 12 month period stated. Full set of local authority tables available on the VOA website.

This dataset is no longer being updated due to redevelopment of private rental prices statistics, impact analysis, UK, please see more information here: Redevelopment of private rental prices statistics, impact analysis, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).

The Index of Private Housing Rental Prices (IPHRP) is a quarterly experimental price index. It tracks the prices paid for renting property from private landlords in Great Britain.

IPHRP is produced from a number of administrative sources and is classified as experimental by ONS.

The index compares trends (rather than levels) in average private sector rents across English regions, Wales and Scotland. It uses a complex mix-adjustment and weighting process to produce a single index for each area. This index uses data on actual new and ongoing rents.

The sample ensures that the index is representative of the stock at regional level and that it isn't distorted by units dropping out of the sample because they switch to LHA or for other reasons. This is an advantage over the VOA dataset where the sample is changing over time and may not be representative.

Tables show monthly data. Data is updated once a quarter.

Index level (January 2011 = 100). Not seasonally adjusted.

See more on the ONS Website

This is the mean (average) gross monthly rent in pounds for properties with one bedroom on the private rental market for the area, over a 12 month period. These are self-contained properties including houses, bungalows, flats and maisonettes. These statistics taken from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) administrative database are simple price averages rounded to the nearest £1. The sample used to produce these statistics is not statistical and may not be consistent over time; as such, these data should not be compared across time periods or between areas. Housing Benefit claimants are not included in the sample.Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

Renters in the UK spent on average 32.5 percent of their income on rent as of January 2025. Scotland and Yorkshire and Humber were the most affordable regions, with households spending less than 28 percent of their gross income on rent. Conversely, London, South West, and South East had a higher ratio. Greater London is the most expensive region for renters Greater London has a considerably higher rent than the rest of the UK regions. In 2024, the average rental cost in Greater London was more than twice higher than in the North West or West Midlands. Compared with Greater London, rent in the South East region was about 600 British pounds cheaper. London property prices continue to increase In recent years, house prices in the UK have been steadily increasing, and the period after the COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. Prime residential property prices in Central London are forecast to continue rising until 2027. A similar trend in prime property prices is also expected in Outer London.

Stock figures used to estimate the average for each county, region and the nation are taken at 1 April of the following financial year. Average rents data for between 2003-04 and 2007-08 inclusively are estimated using total stock figures from Housing Revenue Account (HRA) audited base claim form. For 2008-09, stock figures for local authorities (LAs) where administrative boundaries changed on 1 April 2009 are taken from the HRA 2nd advance subsidy form as at 1 April 2010. Ordinarily stock figures would be taken from the HRA audited base claim form, however these figures were collected on the LA boundaries post 1 April 2009 and could not be reconciled with rents figures for 2008/09, which were collected on LA boundaries pre April 2009. Average rents data for 2003-04 and onwards are based on a standardised 52 week collection calculated by CLG from figures provided by local authorities.