Rents in the UK up 1.3% in year to September 2019

Rents in the UK’s private rented sector increased by 1.3% in the 12 months to September 2019, and are unchanged since May 2019, the latest official figures show.

In England rents increased by 1.3%, in Wales they were up by 1.2%, and in Scotland there was a year on year increase of 0.8% over the 12 month period, while in Northern Ireland they increased 1.9% in the year to June 2019

The data published by the Office for National Statistics also shows that excluding London, rents increased by 1.5% in the 12 months to September 2019, unchanged since January 2019 while in London rents were up by 0.9%.

A breakdown of the figures show that the largest annual rent increase was in the South West, up by 2.1%, and up marginally from 2% growth recorded in August 2019. This was followed by Yorkshire and The Humber up 1.8%, the East Midlands up 1.7% and the South East up 1.6%.

The lowest annual rent growth was in the North East of England where rents increased by 0.6%, followed by London with a rise of 0.9% in the 12 months to September 2019.

Growth in private rents paid by tenants in the UK generally slowed since the beginning of 2016, driven mainly by a slowdown in London over the same period. Rental growth has started to pick up since the end of 2018, driven by strengthening growth in London.