UK average private rent

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), series Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR): UK average rent and annual change. Monthly, usually a Wednesday in the middle of the month, 7am, in the ONS Private rent and house prices bulletin; next release 21 October 2026. No ONS time-series API ID: the latest .xlsx link must be read from the dataset page, whose URL stays fixed

What it measures

The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) measures the rents paid by tenants renting privately in the UK, for new and existing tenancies. It is built from administrative rental data collected by public bodies in each of the four nations, and gives an average monthly rent and an annual rate of rent inflation for the UK, its nations and regions, and local authorities. It covers rents actually being paid, not just advertised rents for new lets, so it moves more slowly than asking-rent figures. The rent data also feed into CPIH.

How to read it

The latest two months of rent estimates are provisional and may be revised. Because PIPR covers existing tenancies as well as new ones, annual changes build up gradually and can keep rising after advertised rents have levelled off. Average rents vary widely: in August 2026 the ONS gave £2,332 for London and £788 for the North East. Compare like with like by area and property size, which the ONS publishes. A percentage rise in rent and a rise in CPI can be compared directly, as both are annual rates.

Background

PIPR was first published in March 2024, replacing the Index of Private Housing Rental Prices and the Private Rental Market Statistics. Its main series runs from January 2015, and the ONS publishes a historical series that links PIPR to the earlier index back to January 2005, advising caution when comparing trends before and after 2015. On 20 May 2026 the ONS changed the status of PIPR from official statistics in development to official statistics.

Other parts of the UK

ONS Private rent and house prices, UK bulletin (regions and local authorities) · Welsh Government private sector rents statistics

What is the average rent in London?

The ONS publishes average monthly private rents for London and each London borough every month. In August 2026, published on 16 September 2026, the London average was £2,332 a month, with Kensington and Chelsea the highest local area at £3,690. The figures are provisional and cover all private tenancies, not only new lets.

Why do official rent figures differ from rental website figures?

Rental websites usually report asking rents for newly advertised properties. The ONS index covers rents paid across new and existing tenancies, many of which are not reset every year. As a result, the ONS figure tends to change more slowly and is lower in periods when new-let rents are rising quickly.

How much does a one-bedroom flat cost to rent in the UK?

The ONS publishes average rents by number of bedrooms and property type. In August 2026 the UK average for a one-bedroom property was £1,136 a month and for four or more bedrooms £2,080. Local figures vary widely, so use the ONS local area data for a particular town or borough.

Related questions

• How much are rents rising in the UK?
• What is the average house price in the UK?
• How many people are homeless in England?

More on this source: MHCLG housing and homelessness statistics (with MoJ possessions and devolved equivalents)