The short answer
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its latest private rent figures on 21 October 2026. The average UK private rent was £1,406 a month in September 2026, up 3.8% on a year earlier. That is the same annual rise as in August, so rents are still climbing steadily but did not speed up again.
The picture is very different depending on where you let. Rents in the North West rose 5.7%, the fastest in England. London and the South East rose 3.5%. In Scotland, rents rose just 0.7%, the lowest annual rise since the ONS series began in 2016.
House prices rose just 0.9% over the year to August, so rents are still rising about four times faster than prices. For landlords that means yields keep edging up. For your own rent reviews, though, the national figure is background, not evidence: a tribunal looks at what similar homes near you actually let for.
Key facts
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The average UK monthly private rent was £1,406 in September 2026, up 3.8% (£52) on a year earlier. The annual rate was unchanged from August. ONS
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Average rents were £1,466 in England (up 4.0%), £848 in Wales (up 4.1%) and £1,011 in Scotland (up 0.7%). In Northern Ireland they were £879 in July (up 1.7%). ONS
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In England, rents rose fastest in the North West (5.7%) and slowest in London and the South East (both 3.5%). Average rent was highest in London (£2,338) and lowest in the North East (£790). ONS
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Scotland's 0.7% is the lowest annual change for Scotland since the series began in January 2016. ONS
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The average UK house price was £273,000 in August 2026, up 0.9% on a year earlier, down from 1.2% in July. London prices fell 2.2%. ONS
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The highest local average rent was in Kensington and Chelsea (£3,739) and the lowest in Dumfries and Galloway (£556). Outside London, Oxford was highest at £1,957. ONS
What changed since last month
Before the release, we said the three things to watch were whether growth kept speeding up, the regional gap and rents against house prices. Here is how they turned out.
Growth held, it didn't speed up. UK rent inflation went from 3.3% in June to 3.7% in July and 3.8% in August. September stayed at 3.8%. The summer pick-up has not reversed, but it has levelled off for now. England was unchanged at 4.0%, Wales eased from 4.3% to 4.1% and Scotland slowed from 1.1% to 0.7%.
The North is still ahead, but the gap is narrowing. The North West eased slightly from 5.8% to 5.7%. The South East picked up from 3.0% to 3.5%, level with London. A landlord in Manchester and a landlord in Kent are still in quite different markets.
Rents are pulling further ahead of house prices. House price growth slowed from 1.2% to 0.9%, while rents held at 3.8%. When rents rise faster than prices, gross yields go up. Paragon already puts the average buy-to-let yield at a 15-year high, and today's figures point the same way. Our guide to what a 7.22% yield means explains how to check yours.
These figures are provisional. The ONS can revise August and September when it publishes October's figures on 18 November.
What it means if you let in…
The North West or North East. Your local market is probably moving faster than the national average. If you haven't reviewed a rent for a year or more, there may be a bigger gap between what you charge and what similar homes now let for. Check before you assume.
London or the South East. Rents are rising more slowly here, and London house prices are falling. A large increase is more likely to be challenged, and more likely to tip a good tenant into moving. Your comparables matter even more.
Scotland. Rents rose just 0.7%, the weakest on record. Scotland has its own rules for rent increases, so the England section 13 process below does not apply. Check the Scottish Government's guidance before you serve any notice.
Wales. Rents rose 4.1%, still faster than England. Wales also has its own rules under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act.
Before you put the rent up (England)
Since 1 May 2026, a section 13 notice on Form 4A is the only way to raise the rent on an assured periodic tenancy in England. You must give at least two months' notice, and you can only raise the rent once a year. If the tenant challenges it, the tribunal sets the lower of the open-market rent and the rent you proposed.
So, before you act on today's figures:
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Don't add 3.8% to your rent. The national average says little about a two-bed flat in your street. Size, condition and location matter more.
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Collect real comparables. What similar homes near you actually let for recently. Agreed rents carry more weight than adverts. Our guide on how to evidence a section 13 rent increase explains what to collect.
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Check your dates. The new rent cannot start until 52 weeks after the tenancy began or the last increase took effect. Our free Section 13 rent increase calculator works out the earliest start date and the latest date to serve Form 4A.
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Weigh up the void. A month empty and the cost of re-letting can wipe out a year of a small increase. Compare the two before you decide.
The Renters' Rights Act guide covers the wider changes from 1 May.
A quick checklist for this week
- List the rent and the start or last increase date for each tenancy.
- Mark which tenancies are more than a year past their last increase.
- For those, find what comparable homes nearby have actually let for.
- Read today's figure for your nation and region as background, not as your number.
- Decide property by property, and serve Form 4A with at least two months' notice.
How AskPortfoliq helps
AskPortfoliq keeps every tenancy's rent, start date and last increase in one place, so steps one and two take minutes.
You can ask on WhatsApp, Telegram or the web assistant, for example "Is the rent at Oak Street below market?". It compares your rent with local asking rents for similar homes and tells you the gap. If you are planning an increase, it points you straight to the Section 13 calculator for the dates.