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.

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).

Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) data chain-linked to Index of Private Housing Rental Prices. This is a historical series from January 2005 to February 2025.

The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) has shown significant growth, reaching a value of 117.9 in January 2025. This marks an increase of approximately 17.9 percent since January 2023, reflecting a robust upward trend in rental prices. Notably, the index saw a steady rise throughout 2024, with an annual percentage change peaking at 9.2 percent in March 2024. Mainstream properties are forecast to see rents further increase until 2028.

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.

Renting an apartment in Cambridge cost on average ***** British pounds per month in July 2025. This made it one of the most expensive cities for renters in the UK after London. In London region, the average rent amounted to ***** British pounds. According to the source, this figure shows the asking rent, adjusted for achieved rents. A comparison of the rent prices of different London boroughs shows that costs may vary by several hundred and even over a thousand British pounds. Looking at the regional prices, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Northeast emerged as the regions with the most affordable rents.

This dataset contains detailed information about rental properties across various locations in the UK. The data was collected by scraping Rightmove, a popular real estate platform. Each entry in the dataset includes the property's address, subdistrict code, rental price, deposit amount, letting type, furnish type, council tax details, property type, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, size in square feet, average distance to the nearest train station, and the count of nearest stations.

Researchers and analysts interested in the UK rental market can utilize this dataset to explore rental trends, pricing variations based on location and property type, amenities preferences, and more. The dataset provides a valuable resource for machine learning models, statistical analysis, and market research in the real estate sector.

Metadata: Source: The data was collected by scraping the Rightmove real estate platform, a leading source for property listings in the UK. Date Range: The dataset covers rental property listings available during the scraping period. Geographical Coverage: Primarily focused on various locations across the UK, providing insights into regional rental markets. Data Fields: Address: The location of the rental property. Subdistrict Code: A code representing the subdistrict or area of the property. Rent: The monthly rental price in GBP (£) for the property. Deposit: The deposit amount required for renting the property. Let Type: Indicates whether the property is available for short-term or long-term rental. Furnish Type: Describes the furnishing status of the property (e.g., furnished, unfurnished, or flexible options). Council Tax: Information about the council tax associated with the property. Property Type: Specifies the type of property, such as apartment, flat, maisonette, etc. Bedrooms: The number of bedrooms in the property. Bathrooms: The number of bathrooms in the property. Size: The size of the property in square feet (sq ft). Average Distance to Nearest Station: The average distance (in miles) to the nearest train station from the property. Nearest Station Count: The count of nearest train stations within a certain distance from the property. Data Quality: The data may contain missing values or "Ask agent" placeholders, which require direct inquiry with agents or landlords for specific information. Potential Uses: The dataset can be used for market analysis, rental price prediction models, understanding property preferences, and exploring the impact of location and amenities on rental properties in the UK.

The UK residential rental market is poised for significant growth, with forecasts indicating a cumulative increase of nearly **** percent by 2029. This surge is expected to be front-loaded, with a robust *****percent rise anticipated in 2025. Rental growth has accelerated notably since 2021, with August 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.

An experimental price index tracking the prices paid for renting property from private landlords in the United Kingdom

The annual headline prime rent costs per square meter for warehouses over ***** 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 *** euros per square meter annually as of first quarter of 2025. 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.

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.

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.

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

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

Renting an office space in the UK was the most expensive in London West End in 2025. In the first quarter of the year, the square foot cost of a prime office space cost 170 British pounds. Conversely, Belfast was the most affordable of the 18 markets ranked, at 26 British pounds per square foot.

For the past decade, buying a home in the UK has been more affordable than renting one, when only considering the monthly costs. The renting versus buying gap fluctuated during the period and in 2016, it reached its highest value of 131 British pounds. In 2023, the monthly costs for a first-time buyer were 1,231 British pounds, compared to 1,258 British pounds for renters. Rental growth vs house price growth Housing costs in the UK have been on an uprise, with both renting and buying a home increasingly unreachable. Though the monthly costs of buying have consistently been lower in the past decade, house price growth has been much stronger than rental growth since the beginning of the pandemic. Additionally, buyers have been affected by the aggressive mortgage rate hikes, making acquiring their first home even less affordable. Barriers to homeownership Buying a home is not straightforward. For younger (18-40) potential first-time buyers, there are a number of barriers. Approximately one in three first-time buyers point out that raising a deposit was the main obstacle. Other reasons stopping buyers were not being able to take out a mortgage on their current income and poor credit ratings. Unsurprisingly, the highest share of people who buy a home with a mortgage was in the age group of 45 to 55-year-olds.