Average UK private rents increased by 3.5% over the 12 months to February 2026, reaching £1,374 per month, according to provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This mirrors the 3.5% growth seen in the year to January 2026 and marks the joint-lowest annual inflation rate since March 2022.
The trend reflects steady but moderate growth across the UK property market, providing context for landlords, investors, and lenders navigating rental yields and buy-to-let portfolios.
Regional breakdown of UK private rents
England: Average monthly rent rose to £1,430 in February 2026, up 3.6% (£49) from a year earlier. This is slightly higher than the 3.5% recorded in the previous year and represents the first increase in England's annual rent inflation since November 2024.
Wales: Rents increased to £828, a 5.5% (£43) rise from a year earlier, down from 5.8% in January 2026 and a recent peak of 8.9% in March 2025.
Scotland: Average rent reached £1,022, up 2.4% (£24), the lowest annual rise in over four years. Scotland’s annual inflation rate has gradually slowed since a record-high 11.7% in August 2023.
Northern Ireland: Rents climbed to £875 in December 2025, rising 5.2% (£43) from a year earlier, a slowdown from 5.6% in November 2025 following a record 9.9% rise in April 2024.
England regional highlights
Within England, the North East recorded the highest annual rent inflation at 7.6% in the 12 months to February 2026, slightly below January’s 8.0%. London saw the lowest annual growth at 1.7%, up from 1.1% in January, marking the first increase since the November 2024 peak of 11.5%.
Average monthly rent remained highest in London at £2,273 and lowest in the North East at £770, underscoring the regional disparities in the England and Wales rental market.
UK house prices and implications for landlords
Alongside rental data, average UK house prices rose by 1.3% to £268,000 in the year to January 2026, down from 1.9% in December 2025. Regionally, prices increased to:
- £290,000 (1.1%) in England
- £210,000 (2.0%) in Wales
- £188,000 (1.3%) in Scotland
Moderate house price growth combined with steady rental increases may influence mortgage affordability and rental yields for UK landlords and property investors.
What this means for landlords
The data suggests that rental inflation is stabilising after several years of higher growth, with notable regional differences. Landlords in the North East and Wales continue to see stronger rent growth, while London’s market shows more modest increases. Investors may need to consider these disparities when assessing rental yields and buy-to-let strategies.
Looking ahead, UK private rents are likely to track moderate annual growth, with regional variations persisting due to local housing supply and demand dynamics.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments, “Rents have risen year on year, and across many regions of the UK, there remains a chronic imbalance between supply and demand in the private rented sector, with far too few homes available to meet tenant need. Affordability pressures persist, and Propertymark data shows that 17% of member agents have reported an increase in rental costs over this period."
“The operating environment for landlords continues to evolve at pace, with an expanding legislative burden and growing expectations around environmental compliance creating significant challenges."
“Renting remains most prevalent among those aged 25 to 34, a group that is increasingly facing barriers to saving for homeownership, further highlighting the long-term pressures within the sector.”
Alex Upton, managing director, specialist mortgages & bridging finance, Hampshire Trust Bank, said, “Landlords are navigating a rental market where supply remains constrained, and confidence is under pressure. Demand continues to outstrip available stock in many areas, but the more meaningful shift is in how investors are responding to a more complex and less predictable operating environment."
“We are starting to see lenders become more selective, and in some cases step back from parts of the market. That matters. When funding options narrow at the same time as regulatory and cost pressures increase, it creates a more challenging landscape for brokers and landlords to operate within."
“Landlord behaviour is adjusting accordingly. Expansion is no longer the default. Many are reassessing exposure, refining portfolios and prioritising assets that offer higher and more reliable income. More experienced investors are not stepping away, but they are being far more deliberate in how they allocate capital and structure their portfolios."
“These conditions are reshaping funding demand. Landlords are not simply refinancing, they are restructuring. That means releasing capital selectively, consolidating borrowing and repositioning portfolios to reflect tighter margins and higher compliance expectations. It requires lenders who can assess cases on their merits, take a long-term view and structure funding around how portfolios operate in practice."
“In this environment, consistency and clarity are not optional. Where funding remains accessible, decision making is clear and lenders continue to engage with complexity, confidence holds. Where it does not, it falls away quickly. That is where the real risk sits. Without stability, pressure in the rental market does not ease, it builds.”
Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, says, "We are continuing to see a shortage of stock, particularly prompted by landlords selling as tenancies end, due to worries about imminent tax and regulatory issues. This lack of stock and choice for tenants is supporting higher rents."
"However, over the past few weeks we have noticed some tenant resistance to paying more, bearing in mind increasing worries about the cost of living prompted by war in the Middle East."
