United Kingdom · data to Sep 2026
How are rents?
OK.
Private rents are rising 3.8% a year, faster than usual.
For context: 3.8% is higher than 89% of all 357 figures since 1997.
Private rents, year on year
Annual change in rents paid by private tenants
The strip under the chart shows the verdict each period would get by today's rules:Good OK Bad
See the latest numbers
| Period | Value | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 3.8% | OK |
| Aug 2026 | 3.8% | OK |
| Jul 2026 | 3.7% | OK |
| Jun 2026 | 3.3% | OK |
| May 2026 | 3.3% | OK |
| Apr 2026 | 3.5% | OK |
| Mar 2026 | 3.4% | OK |
| Feb 2026 | 3.6% | OK |
| Jan 2026 | 3.5% | OK |
| Dec 2025 | 3.9% | OK |
| Nov 2025 | 4.4% | OK |
| Oct 2025 | 4.9% | OK |
Source: ONS, Consumer Prices Index, private rentals for housing, annual % change (from the index) · Series KYHJ (MM23) · Latest Sep 2026
How we judged this
What we test: The latest figure (private rents, year on year). Right now that's 3.8%.
- Good if under 3.0%
- OK if from 3.0% to under 5.0%applies now
- Bad if anything the rules above don’t cover
Rules are checked from the top. The first one that fits decides the verdict.
About this data
- Measure
- Private rents, year on year
- Latest
- 3.8% (Sep 2026)
- Published
- Monthly, by ONS
- Verdict counts for
- Equal weight with the others in the overall verdict
Rents paid by private tenants, as measured in the Consumer Prices Index. Social housing rents are left out because they are set by policy rather than the market.
It covers all private tenants, most of whom aren't moving, so it changes more slowly than the rents asked in new listings. Rents also vary a lot by region.