Average UK monthly buy-to-let rents increased by £46 (3.5 percent) to £1,367 in the 12 months to January 2026, down from 4.0 percent in the 12 months to December 2025 and the lowest annual rent rise since March 2022.
In England, average rents increased to £1,423, a rise of £48 from a year earlier, according to the latest rent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Rent rises were highest in the North East (8.0 percent), and lowest in London (1.1 percent), where rent increases were down from 2.1 percent in the 12 months to December 2025. London's rent inflation has slowed the most since its peak, decreasing by 10.4 percentage points since November 2024, when the rate of increase was 11.5 percent.
London has the highest rents but the slowest rent rise
Average rent was highest in London (£2,253 a month) and lowest in the North East (£767 a month) in January 2026.
In Wales, rents increased to £826 (up 5.8 percent or £45) in the 12 months to January 2026. The rise was higher than in the 12 months to December 2025 (5.7 percent), but below the record-high annual rise of 9.9 percent in November 2023.
In January, the average monthly rent was highest in Kensington and Chelsea, London (£3,640), and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (£549).
Excluding London, the local area with the highest average monthly rent in January was Oxford, where tenants pay an average of £1,923 a month.
England: Year-on-year rent changes
Region
Annual change
North East
8.00%
North West
6.00%
West Midlands
5.40%
East Midlands
5.30%
South West
4.90%
East of England
4.90%
Yorkshire and The Humber
4.20%
South East
3.60%
London
1.10%
England
3.50%
Source: Office for National Statistics
Rents where you are
Local average monthly rents by council area:
In January, the average monthly rent was highest in Kensington and Chelsea, London (£3,640), and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (£549).
Excluding London, the local area with the highest average monthly rent in January was Oxford, where tenants pay an average of £1,923 a month.
Local private rents by property type
Tenants pay more for detached properties (£1,563) and the lowest for flats and maisonettes (£1,334). Average UK private rent was highest for properties with four or more bedrooms (£2,037) and lowest for properties with one bedroom (£1,109).
