What are tenants really paying in your area? Using the official rent figures before you set a rent

Before you raise a rent or advertise a home, you want a sound number. The Office for National Statistics publishes one every month: the Price Index of Private Rents, with average monthly rents for every council area in England, split by number of bedrooms.

What the latest figures say (September 2026, ONS)

• England average: £1,466 a month across all homes, up 4.0% in 12 months.
• By size: £1,199 for one bedroom, £1,341 for two, £1,497 for three and £2,170 for four or more.
• It varies a lot by place:

What these figures do not say

They are averages across all private tenancies in the area, new and existing, not advertised rents. A newly advertised home usually costs more than the average, because many sitting tenants are on older, lower rents. There is no figure for a single room, and an average is not a valuation of your property.

How to use them

Use the figure as a starting point and a sense-check: is the rent you plan to propose far above the local average for this size of home? Then look at live adverts for similar homes, because that is what a tenant, or a tribunal, will compare.

If you are raising the rent on a periodic tenancy using Form 4A, remember the tribunal looks at the open market rent for the same terms. It can come out higher or lower than your proposal, so evidence of nearby lettings carries weight.

Try it

Our free Rent in your area tool on the home page shows the latest figure for your council and bedroom count, with the source and the month. No sign-up.

England, as at 24 October 2026. Averages, not a valuation or rent recommendation. Not legal advice.