Rents rise 3.4% to £1,377 average
- Office for National Statistics data released on April 22 showed average UK private rents rose 3.4% year on year to £1,377 in March 2026, the slowest annual increase since March 2022. - England’s average rent reached £1,434 and London remained the most expensive region at £2,280, even as annual rent inflation there was just 1.7%, the lowest in England. - Rent growth is easing, but regional gaps and supply shortages are still shaping affordability debates across the market. (ons.gov.uk)
Average UK private rents rose 3.4% in the year to March 2026, taking the monthly average to £1,377. (ons.gov.uk) The Office for National Statistics published the figures on April 22 and said the annual growth rate had slowed from 3.6% in February. It was the lowest UK rent inflation reading since March 2022. (ons.gov.uk) Average rents in March stood at £1,434 in England, £830 in Wales and £1,022 in Scotland. Northern Ireland’s latest figure was £880 in January 2026 because its rent data runs on a different timetable. (ons.gov.uk) Within England, the North East recorded the fastest annual rent inflation at 6.5%. London recorded the slowest at 1.7%, but still had the highest average monthly rent at £2,280. (ons.gov.uk) The same release showed the gap between growth rates and price levels across the market. Slower inflation in London did not make it cheap; it meant rents there rose more slowly from an already high base. (ons.gov.uk) By property size, one-bedroom homes averaged £1,117 a month across the UK in March, while homes with four or more bedrooms averaged £2,049. By property type, detached homes averaged £1,569 and flats and maisonettes £1,345. (ons.gov.uk) The Office for National Statistics said its Price Index of Private Rents measures both new and existing tenancies, not just newly advertised listings. That means the series tracks what tenants are paying across the stock of rented homes, which usually moves more slowly than asking-rent indexes. (ons.gov.uk) Industry groups said supply remains tight even as rent growth cools. Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson said letting agents were still reporting high tenant demand and a shortage of available homes. (propertyindustryeye.com) The March figures leave rents rising more slowly than they were a year ago, but still above wage growth for some households and still uneven across regions. The next Office for National Statistics rent release is scheduled for May 20, 2026. (ons.gov.uk)
