The figures from the Office of National Statistics shows that rents increased by 1% in England, 1.3% in Scotland and 0.6% in Wales in the 12 months to March 2014.
Rental prices increased in all the English regions over the year to March 2014, with rental prices increasing the most in London at 1.4%.
Rental prices excluding London grew by 0.7% in the same period. This difference is due to the higher inflation in rental prices experienced in London when compared to the rest of the country and its large weight in the overall index.
The large weight that London has in the overall index reflects its high average rental prices and its large volume of private rented property.
Since the beginning of 2012 English rental price increases have been stable at between 1% and 1.5% year on year, with March 2014 rental prices being 1% higher than March 2013 rental prices.
In the 12 months to March 2014, private rental prices increased in each of the nine English regions and the largest rental price increases were in London at 1.4% followed by both the South East and South West at 1%. Rental price increases have been stronger in London than the rest of England since January 2011.
The Index of Private Housing Rental Prices (IPHRP) measures the change in price of renting residential property from private landlords. It measures the change in price of renting residential property from private landlords, thereby allowing a comparison between the prices tenants are charged in the current month as opposed to the same month in the previous year. The index does not measure the change in advertised rental prices.
