The average agreed rent for new tenancies in the UK ranged from 665 British pounds to 2,100 British pounds, depending on the region. On average, renters outside of London paid 1,095 British pounds, whereas in London, this figure amounted to 2,025 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 25 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 30 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 30 percent of income. In 2024, most renters in the UK exceeded that threshold, with the southern regions significantly more likely to spend upward of 30 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).

Renting an apartment in Cambridge cost on average more than 1,500 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 1,400 British pounds and 3,700 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.

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.

London is the most expensive city for office real estate in Europe. In 2023, the per square foot cost of office space in London was higher than in any other European city. In West End, a Grade A office cost about 90 British pounds per square foot in 2023. Prime offices were even more expensive, at 135 British pounds per square meter. Office yields Prime yields in Central London fluctuate depending on the district, but West End areas tend to have lower yields compared to other areas, such as Stratford or Canary Wharf. The prime office yield in Mayfair/St. James' in 2023 was the lowest among the major London office submarkets. In real estate, yields measure the potential return of a rental property and are calculated as the ratio of the property's rental income to the investment cost. Typically, prime office yields in London are lower than the rest of the UK, which is mostly due to the highly competitive market and high investment costs. Vacancy rates Despite the high office rental costs in England’s capital city, vacancy rates in many of London's main office markets were below seven percent in 2023. This is good news for the office sector, as during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the share of vacant office space across all Central London districts spiked dramatically. Compared to other European cities, London was in the middle of the ranking, alongside Frankfurt and Lisbon.

The United Kingdom (UK) is the most expensive European country for annual costs of prime industrial rent at about 300 euros per square meter of industrial space in London Heathrow per year in 2023. Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Finland, and Luxembourg were the other European countries where the average annual cost of industrial prime rents in the capital city exceeded one hundred euros per square meter.

London West End - Bond Street is the most expensive location for prime high street rents in the UK, with prices reaching 2,250 British pounds per square foot. The West End was ranked ahead of the London City, which came in third. In Manchester, the annual costs of rental per square foot of prime retail real estate amounted to 225 British pounds. Retail warehouses Retail warehouses typically range from fifty thousand to hundreds of thousands of square feet. They are used for keeping and distributing inventory. Retail warehouses include loading docks, truck doors and large parking lots; also, they may contain a limited amount of office space. Prime retail warehouse properties belong to the wider category of industrial property, along with other real estate types, such as distribution buildings, showroom facilities, manufacturing buildings, cold storage facilities, telecom or data hosting centers, "flex" buildings denoting more than one industrial or commercial facility housed in the same building, and finally R&D buildings. Prime yields of high street retail across Europe Retail real estate prime yields in Europe were the lowest in Zurich, Switzerland, and the highest in Istanbul, Turkey in 2022. As could be expected, larger cities in Europe tended to produce lower yields, due to the lower risk associated with these markets. Locations with lower yields tend to have steady occupancy rates and rental growth.

In 2022, house price growth in the UK slowed, after a period of decade-long increase. Nevertheless, in August 2024, prices reached a new peak, with the average home costing close to 290,000 British pounds. That figure refers to all property types, including detached, semi-detached, terraced houses, and flats and maisonettes. Compared to other European countries, the UK had some of the highest house prices. How have UK house prices increased over the last 10 years? Property prices have risen dramatically over the past decade. According to the UK house price index, the average house price has grown by over 50 percent since 2015. This price development has led to the gap between the cost of buying and renting a property to close. In 2023, buying a three-bedroom house in the UK was no longer more affordable than renting one. Consequently, Brits have become more likely to rent longer and push off making a house purchase until they have saved up enough for a down payment and achieved the financial stability required to make the step. What caused the decline in house prices in 2022? House prices are affected by multiple factors, such as mortgage rates, supply, and demand on the market. For nearly a decade, the UK experienced uninterrupted house price growth as a result of strong demand and a chronic undersupply. Homebuyers who purchased a property at the peak of the housing boom in July 2022 paid 14 percent more compared to what they would have paid a year before. Additionally, 2022 saw the most dramatic increase in mortgage rates in recent history. Between December 2021 and December 2022, the 10-year fixed mortgage rate doubled, adding further strain to prospective homebuyers. As a result, the market cooled, leading to a correction in pricing.

In the UK, renting an office space was the most expensive in London West End in 2024. In the third quarter of the year, the square foot cost of a prime office space cost 142.5 British pounds. In Leeds, renting an office was much more affordable, at 40 British pounds per square foot.

The prime rent for large warehouses over 100,000 square feet in the UK was 11 British pounds per square foot in 2023. However, in London, the South East, and East, rents were twice higher. Conversely, the North East was the region with the most affordable warehouse rent, with the prime rent per square foot amounting to 7.75 British pounds. What is the rental price for warehouses in Europe? The UK has some of the most expensive warehouse rents in Europe. Other key markets that fetched high prices were Oslo, Helsinki, Dublin, and Munich, with rents ranging between 100 and 200 euros per square meter. In Eastern Europe, prices were notably lower, with markets such as Katowice, Warsaw, and Bucharest, reporting rents below 60 euros per square meter. How are warehouse rents expected to develop in the next years? The industrial and logistics real estate sector has grown dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although growth is forecast to slow, rents in the sector are expected to continue to increase until 2025. Industrial real estate is anticipated to outperform offices and retail not only by rental growth but also in terms of capital value increase.

Rental rates of high street and shopping center properties in the UK increased in 2023, exceeding the 2019 levels. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the net effective rent increased by 10.2 percent from 2019. That ended a nearly three-year period of a decline in rents. Headline rent refers to the rental rate written in the lease, but this often differs from the effective rent paid due to rent-free periods or other inducements offered by the landlord. Prime retail rents in Europe are forecast to rise by 2027. However, in London, this increase is expected to remain below average for the region.

The annual headline prime rent costs per square meter for warehouses over 5,000 square meters in the occupier logistics markets in the United Kingdom has increased since 2014. In London, the annual rent for the properties of highest quality and specification and in the best locations amounted to 310 euros per square meter annually. This figure refers to the rent payable after rent-free periods and incentives, and excludes taxes and charges. After London, the capital of Norway, Oslo, was the city with the most expensive warehouse rents.

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.

London was the most expensive city to buy an apartment in, with an average value of 13,335 euros per square meter in the first quarter of 2024. The price of an apartment in Leeds was significantly lower at approximately 4,210 euros per square meter.

The industrial real estate sector is forecasted to see the highest annualized rental growth in the UK between 2024 and 2028, followed by West End offices. According to the forecast, industrial real estate rents are expected to grow by 3.2 percent per year in this period, while West End office space rents are expected to increase by 2.7 percent. When it comes to total commercial real estate returns in the UK, the industrial and retail warehousing sectors are forecast to outperform all other property types.

Just as in many other countries, the housing market in the UK grew substantially during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled by robust demand and low borrowing costs. Nevertheless, high inflation and the increase in mortgage rates has led to house price growth slowing down. According to the forecast, 2024 is expected to see house prices decrease by three percent. Between 2024 and 2028, the average house price growth is projected at 2.7 percent. A contraction after a period of continuous growth In June 2022, the UK's house price index exceeded 150 index points, meaning that since 2015 which was the base year for the index, house prices had increased by 50 percent. In just two years, between 2020 and 2022, the index surged by 30 index points. As the market stood in December 2023, the average price for a home stood at approximately 284,691 British pounds. Rents are expected to continue to grow According to another forecast, the prime residential market is also expected to see rental prices grow in the next years. Growth is forecast to be stronger in 2024 and slow down in the period between 2025 and 2028. The rental market in London is expected to follow a similar trend, with Central London slightly outperforming Greater London.

This statistic shows the average annual rental costs for student accommodation in the United Kingdom in 2015/16 by institutions and private providers. Over the time period it can be seen that private providers charge more for student accommodation with the annual cost being more than two thousand British pounds more on average as of 2015/16.

This statistic displays the average monthly rent of property in greater London and Great Britain (excluding London) from 2007 to 2016 in British pounds. It can be seen that the average cost of rent in greater London is far higher than the average across Great Britain with an average price gap of almost five hundred British pounds in 2016.

In the five-year period between 2024 and 2028, the prime residential rent for existing properties in Greater London is expected to increase by over 19 percent. The highest percentage change is expected to occur in 2024, when rents are to rise by 5.5 percent. In the UK. rental growth has accelerated notably since 2021, with March 2024 experiencing a decade-high annual percentage growth. The trend reflects the complex interplay between housing affordability, mortgage rates, and supply of rental homes, as the UK housing market navigates a period of transition.

In 2023, the most expensive residential rental market in Europe was London (inner) with rental costs of approximately 33.8 euros per square meter. Dublin and Paris followed with rental costs of 31.5 and 31.3 euros per square meter. Rents increased across most markets - a trend that could also be observed in the housing market. How much does an apartment cost in different European cities? Renting a furnished studio apartment in some of the leading cities in Europe can cost anywhere between 500 euros monthly (Budapest) and 2,000 euros (Amsterdam) per month. For afurnished one-bedroom apartment in Paris, France, one may be expected to pay on average 1,900 euros monthly. Which countries have the most affordable housing? The house price to rent ratio is an indicator of the affordability of owning housing over renting across European countries and is calculated as the nominal house prices divided by a rent price index. The higher the ratio, the more the gap between house prices and rental rates has widened since 2015 when the index base was 100. As of the fourth quarter of 2021, Finland, Italy, and Belgium had the lowest house price to rent ratio, meaning that buying a house was most affordable there compared to renting.