UK rents climb at fastest pace since December 2025

UK private rents rose by 3.8% to £1,400 a month in the 12 months to August 2026, the highest annual rate since December 2025, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

The provisional estimate is up from 3.7% in the 12 months to July 2026, driven mainly by a jump in London’s annual rent inflation to its highest level since October 2025, the ONS said.

The North East and North West had the highest regional rent inflation in England, both up 5.8% in the 12 months to August 2026, while the South East remained the lowest, at 3.0%, up from 2.9% the month before, according to the ONS.

Average rents also rose to £1,459 in England, up 4.0% over the year, and to £846 in Wales, up 4.3%, the ONS said.

In Scotland, rents rose to £1,013, up 1.1%, while Northern Ireland’s rents increased to £874, up 1.6%, in the 12 months to June 2026.

Monthly rent was highest in Kensington and Chelsea, London, at £3,690, and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, at £558, in August 2026, the ONS said.

Average UK house prices increased by 1.4%, to £273,000, in the 12 months to July 2026, down from 1.5% in the 12 months to June, slowing for a third consecutive month, the ONS said.

The slowdown was driven mainly by a sharp easing in the annual rate for the South West of England, with London and the West Midlands also contributing, the ONS said.

House prices in London fell for an eleventh consecutive month, down 3.3% in the 12 months to July 2026 – from a 3.1% fall in June – the lowest annual rate for the capital since January 2024, according to the ONS.

Inner London was particularly affected, the ONS said.

The average home in London cost £569,000 in July 2026, some £19,000 below the peak reached in July 2025, the figures show.

The ONS said its next update, covering rents to September and house prices to August, would be published on 21 October 2026.