Annual growth rate is unchanged
Average UK monthly private rents rose 3.8% to £1,406 in the 12 months to September 2026, an annual growth rate that is unchanged from the 12 months to August 2026, according to the latest figures from the ONS.
Its analysis shows that average rents increased to 4.0% to £1,466 in England, 4.1% to £848 in Wales, and 0.7% to £1,011 in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, for which the data period is different, average rents increased to £879 (1.7%), in the 12 months to July 2026.
Annual inflation was highest in the North West of England at5.7%, and lowest in London and the South East (both 3.5%).
Limited supply driving price growth
Amy Reynolds, head of sales at Richmond estate agency Antony Roberts, said the market was being fuelled by landlords exiting in the wake of the Renters’ Rights Act “Rents are high because so many landlords have sold or are trying to sell,” she said.
Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said the limited supply pressure on rents was exacerbated by those landlords staying putting up rents. “Rental value growth continues to be supported by tight supply and landlords setting higher asking rents to compensate for the greater risks they face with the Renters Reform Bill around void periods and selling or gaining possession of their property.
“The upward pressure is likely to continue as legislation like the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards is on the horizon and may require extra expenditure.”
For those renters looking to become first-time buyers, Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, said the Your First Home scheme would be welcomed. “Your First Home could make a meaningful difference for those struggling to raise a deposit, but no measure can transform the market in isolation. Its success will depend on housing supply, sustainable mortgage affordability and policies that encourage movement beyond the first purchase. Today’s first-time buyers will become tomorrow’s second-steppers, so the Budget must support a housing market that works at every stage of people’s lives.”
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