News from 23 July 2026
UK private rents were 3.3% higher in June 2026 than a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics. The average monthly rent was £1,388. The release also shows differences between locations and property types.
What the latest ONS figures show
The ONS estimated that the average monthly private rent in the UK rose by £44 over the year to June. Average rents reached £1,446 in England, £843 in Wales and £1,012 in Scotland. Northern Ireland’s latest available figure was £877 in April, up 2.9% over the year.
Annual growth also varied substantially. Rents increased by 3.4% in England, 4.9% in Wales and 1.3% in Scotland. The ONS advises caution when comparing Scotland and Northern Ireland with other countries because of differences in data collection. Its latest UK estimates are also provisional and may be revised.
Within England, the North East recorded the strongest annual rent inflation at 6.3%, while London had the lowest at 2.2%. That gap shows why landlords should avoid treating the UK rate as a direct guide to conditions in a particular town or neighbourhood.
Property size and type affect the comparison
The ONS breakdown shows that the average UK rent in June was highest for detached properties at £1,577 and lowest for flats and maisonettes at £1,355. Properties with four or more bedrooms averaged £2,061, compared with £1,127 for one-bedroom homes.
These are broad averages across a large and varied market. A more useful review begins with genuinely comparable homes in the same local area, with similar size, condition and amenities. Advertised rents can help show current competition, while agreed rents provide a better indication of what tenants are actually paying where reliable data are available.
Landlords looking at market conditions alongside regulatory change may also find our overview of the Renters’ Rights Act checks for landlords in England useful. The legal framework is nation-specific, so a UK-wide statistics release should not be mistaken for UK-wide tenancy rules.
