UK rents in 2026: what the latest figures and forecasts say

In this article

1. Where rents are now
2. Where rents are rising fastest
3. Rent by size of home
4. What the forecasts say
5. Scotland: the slowest growth on record
6. What it means if you rent

In short

• The average rent for a privately rented home in the UK was £1,406 a month in September 2026, all sizes from studios to large houses, up 3.8% (£52) in a year.
• Rents rose fastest in the North West (5.7%) and slowest in Scotland (0.7%, the lowest on record there).
• Savills expects UK rents to rise about 12% in total over 2026 to 2030, slower than incomes.
• In England, your landlord can raise the rent only once a year, and you can challenge a rise at a tribunal.

Every month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes what tenants across the UK are paying for new and existing tenancies. Its latest figures, published on 21 October 2026, cover September. They show rents still rising faster than house prices, but more slowly than in 2023 and 2024, when they grew at record speed.

Where rents are now

England is the most expensive nation to rent in, at an average of £1,466 a month, largely because of London. Wales is the cheapest at £848.

London£2,338

England£1,466

Scotland£1,011

Northern Ireland£879

Wales£848

Source: ONS, Private rent and house prices, UK: October 2026. Northern Ireland figure for July 2026, the latest available.

Central London is in a different league. In Kensington and Chelsea, the most expensive area in the UK, a privately rented home costs £3,739 a month on average, and a one-bedroom home £2,674. In most other central boroughs, a one-bedroom home costs between about £1,900 and £2,200.

Kensington and Chelseazones 1–2£3,739

Westminstermainly zone 1£3,209

Islingtonzones 1–2£2,884

Hammersmith and Fulhamzone 2£2,861

Camdenzones 1–2£2,834

Hackneymainly zone 2£2,667

Lambethzones 1–2£2,538

Southwarkzones 1–2£2,516

Tower Hamletszones 1–2£2,462

Borough	1 bedroom	2 bedrooms	In a year
Kensington and Chelsea	£2,674	£3,475	+3.0%
Westminster	£2,557	£3,320	−0.4%
Islington	£2,189	£2,712	+6.6%
Hammersmith and Fulham	£2,025	£2,656	+4.9%
Camden	£2,063	£2,634	+1.4%
Hackney	£2,007	£2,498	+3.9%
Lambeth	£1,890	£2,353	+3.4%
Southwark	£1,907	£2,387	+7.3%
Tower Hamlets	£1,998	£2,427	+3.8%

Source: ONS, Price Index of Private Rents by local authority, September 2026. Official figures are by borough, not by Tube zone, and borough edges don’t follow zone borders exactly. The ONS doesn’t publish a separate figure for the City of London.

Where rents are rising fastest

For the past year, the North of England and Wales have seen the biggest rises, while London and the South East, where rents are already highest, have slowed down. In Scotland, rent growth has nearly stopped: 0.7% is the lowest annual change the ONS has ever reported there.

North West5.7%

Wales4.1%

England4.0%

London3.5%

South East3.5%

Northern Ireland1.7%

Scotland0.7%

Source: ONS, October 2026. Northern Ireland: 12 months to July 2026.

Rent by size of home

The size and type of home matter as much as the area. Across the UK, a one-bedroom home rents for £1,140 a month on average, and a home with four bedrooms or more for £2,089. Flats and maisonettes of all sizes average £1,371.

1 bedroom£1,140

Flat or maisonette, any size£1,371

Detached house£1,597

4 bedrooms or more£2,089

Source: ONS, October 2026. The ONS monthly summary gives these four; its full dataset has more detail.

Averages hide a lot. Two flats on the same street can differ by hundreds of pounds because of their condition, energy rating and bills. On Flat Reviews, tenants share their rent band and what they paid for bills, so you can compare real homes rather than averages.

What the forecasts say

Forecasts are educated guesses, not promises, but they help explain where the market is heading. The estate agent and research firm Savills publishes five-year forecasts for house prices and rents.

• Rents: Savills’ latest rental forecast expects UK rents to grow about 12% in total from 2026 to 2030, around 2% a year at first, and London rents about 11.5% (reported by The Intermediary). It expects incomes to grow faster than rents, so renting should slowly become a little more affordable.
• House prices: in its June 2026 revised forecast, Savills expects mainstream house prices to fall about 2% in 2026, with London and the South East weakest.
• Why: higher mortgage rates, and more homes for sale, partly because some landlords are selling up as rental rules get stricter.

Scotland: the slowest growth on record

Average rent in Scotland was £1,011 a month in September 2026. Scotland has its own rules: under a private residential tenancy, your landlord can raise the rent only once in 12 months and must give you at least 3 months’ notice on the official form. If you think the rise is too high, you can ask for a rent officer to decide (“rent adjudication”). The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 also lets councils bring in rent control areas in future. See the Scottish Government’s page on rent controls.

What it means if you rent

• Check a rent rise against your area. Compare any increase with the ONS figures for your region, and with similar homes nearby.
• Know the rules in England. Since 1 May 2026, rent can go up only once a year, with at least 2 months’ notice on the official form (Form 4A). See your rights under the Renters’ Rights Act.
• You can challenge a rise. In England, apply to the First-tier Tribunal. The government says you don’t have to pay the higher rent until the tribunal makes its final decision.
• Count the bills too. From 1 October 2026, the energy price cap puts a typical household’s gas and electricity at £1,723 a year (Ofgem). A home with a good energy rating costs less to heat: see what your EPC rating means.