Private Rent Rises Slow Across UK Regions

Private tenants are paying six times more to live in the most expensive English neighbourhood than in the cheapest, according to the latest official data.

Average monthly rent is highest in the plush London suburb of Kensington and Chelsea (£3,616) and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (£521), as of June.

Meanwhile, average UK monthly private rents increased by 6.7 per cent to £1,344 in the 12 months to June 2025, with rent inflation slowing from 7.0 per cent in May 2025. This represents falling inflation for the sixth month in a row.

The Office for National Statistics private rent bulletin for June shows average rents increased to £1,399 (+6.7 per cent) in England, which is £88 (6.7 per cent) higher than 12 months ago. This annual rise was lower than in the 12 months to May 2025 (7.1 per cent) and represents the seventh consecutive month of slowing annual inflation in England.

The average rent for Wales was £804 in June, up 8.2 per cent (£61) from a year earlier. This annual rise was lower than in the 12 months to May 2025 (8.5 per cent), and below the record-high annual rise of 9.9 per cent recorded in November 2023.

Private rents and annual inflation by region

Rents continue to rise fastest in the North East, again reaching the record-high rate of 9.7 per cent seen in May.

Annual rent inflation remained lowest in Yorkshire and The Humber, at 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to June 2025. This annual increase was slightly lower than in the 12 months to May 2025 (3.7 per cent), marking a year of slowing inflation.

London’s annual rent inflation was 7.3 per cent in the 12 months to June, down from 7.7 per cent in the 12 months to May. This represents the seventh consecutive month of slowing annual rent inflation.

Average monthly rent was highest in London (£2,252) and lowest in the North East (£734) in June. Excluding London, the local area with the highest average rent in June was St Albans, in the East of England (£1,869).

In Wales, Newport’s annual inflation rate has stabilised following rapid price rises during winter 2024, which led to a record-high annual growth of 21.4 per cent in the 12 months to January.

Rents where you are

Rents by property size

The average monthly rent in June was highest for detached homes (£1,533) and lowest for flats and maisonettes (£1,318). Properties with four or more bedrooms had the highest average monthly rent (£2,007), while the lowest was for homes with a single bedroom (£1,091).