The average newly agreed rent across Britain reached £1,433 per month in September, up 2.7 per cent year-on-year, according to property company Hamptons.
The annual rate of rental price increases on new lettings accelerated for the 10th consecutive month, marking the quickest growth in almost two years. The figure compares with an average of £1,396 in September last year.
Regional variations in rent growth
The South East and South West of England recorded annual growth exceeding 4 per cent for the first time since September 2024. For existing tenants who saw rent increases, the average rise held steady at 5.6 per cent, unchanged from August.
Hamptons' lettings index, which uses data from the Connells Group, monitors changes in rental costs based on achieved rather than advertised rents.
Impact on tenants
Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, commented: "So far this year, higher rents have mainly been felt by tenants moving home."
She added: "But if growth continues to pick up, it is likely to feed through to more existing tenants in the coming months as the gap between new and existing rents widens."
Average monthly rents for new lets in September and the annual percentage increase were: London, £2,357, 1.5 per cent; East of England, £1,294, 1.6 per cent; South East, £1,544, 4.6 per cent; South West, £1,353, 4.1 per cent; East Midlands, £1,017, 0.3 per cent; West Midlands, £1,136, 3.5 per cent; North East, £948, 3.1 per cent; North West, £1,090, 3.6 per cent; Yorkshire and the Humber, £985, 3.8 per cent; Wales, £888, 2.5 per cent; and Scotland, £1,099, 1.9 per cent.
