Average UK monthly private rent reached £1,388 in June 2026, up 3.3% from a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The annual rate was unchanged from May, while the ONS said the broader trend in rent inflation had generally been slowing since December 2024. The June estimate remains provisional.
Rent growth varied materially across the UK. Average monthly rent was £1,446 in England, up 3.4% year on year; £843 in Wales, up 4.9%; and £1,012 in Scotland, up 1.3%. Northern Ireland’s latest figure was £877 in April, up 2.9%. Within England, annual rent inflation ranged from 6.3% in the North East to 2.2% in London.
The same release put the average UK house price at £271,000 in May 2026, 2.7% higher than a year earlier, down from a revised 3.9% annual increase in April. Average prices rose by 2.3% to £292,000 in England, 4.2% to £215,000 in Wales and 4.4% to £196,000 in Scotland.
The ONS attributed much of the drop in the UK annual house-price growth rate to a base effect: prices rose only slightly between April and May 2026, compared with a much larger rise a year earlier after stamp duty land tax changes took effect in England and Northern Ireland in April 2025.
The rent and house-price figures cover different reference months and measures. The Price Index of Private Rents covers new and existing private tenancies, while the UK House Price Index measures completed-sale prices; Northern Ireland’s rent series also lags the other nations.
References
Office for National Statistics — Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026
