Private rent and house prices, UK: July 2026
1. Main points
- Average UK monthly private rent increased by 3.3%, to £1,388, in the 12 months to June 2026 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate remained unchanged from the 12 months to May 2026.
- Average rents increased to £1,446 (3.4%) in England, £843 (4.9%) in Wales, and £1,012 (1.3%) in Scotland, in the 12 months to June 2026.
- In Northern Ireland, average rents increased to £877 (2.9%), in the 12 months to April 2026.
- In England, private rent annual inflation was highest in the North East (6.3%), and lowest in London (2.2%), in the 12 months to June 2026.
- Average UK house prices increased by 2.7%, to £271,000, in the 12 months to May 2026 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 3.9% in the 12 months to April 2026.
- Slowing of the UK house price annual inflation rate was caused by a base effect from a small monthly price rise in May 2026 and a large monthly rise in May 2025, following the April 2025 Stamp Duty Land Tax changes in England and Northern Ireland.
- Average house prices increased to £292,000 (2.3%) in England, £215,000 (4.2%) in Wales, and £196,000 (4.4%) in Scotland, in the 12 months to May 2026.
2.UK private rent and house prices
Average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.3%, in the 12 months to June 2026 (provisional estimate). This was unchanged from the 12 months to May 2026. UK rents annual inflation has generally been slowing since December 2024.
Average UK house prices were £271,000 in May 2026 and increased by 2.7% (provisional estimate) in the 12 months to May 2026. This annual growth was down from 3.9% (revised estimate) in the 12 months to April 2026.
The slowing in the UK annual rate was caused by a base effect from the aftermath of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) changes in England and Northern Ireland on 1 April 2025, similar to SDLT effects seen previously. The annual rate slowed in May 2026 because average UK house prices rose by a smaller amount (0.3%) between April and May 2026 than in the same period a year ago (1.5%).
HM Land Registry (HMLR) publishes the full UK House Price Index report and monthly data.
Our local housing statistics tool summarises the latest private rents and house price statistics for local areas across the UK.
3. House prices across the UK and by English region
The average house price for England was £292,000 in May 2026, up by 2.3% (£6,000) from a year earlier. This annual inflation rate was lower than in the 12 months to April 2026 (4.0%).
The slowing in England’s annual inflation rate this month was caused by a base effect from the small monthly price rise (0.1%) in May 2026 compared with the large monthly rise (1.8%) a year ago, which resulted from the aftermath of Stamp Duty Land Tax changes in England and Northern Ireland on 1 April 2025.
The average house price for Wales was £215,000 in May 2026, up by 4.2% (£8,000) from a year earlier. This annual rise was higher than in the 12 months to April 2026 (3.5%).
The average house price for Scotland was £196,000 in May 2026, up by 4.4% (£9,000) from a year earlier. This annual rise was higher than in the 12 months to April 2026 (3.2%).
The average house price for Northern Ireland was £198,000 in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, up by 7.4% (£14,000) from Quarter 1 2025.
The North East was the English region with the highest house price inflation, at 5.9%, in the 12 months to May 2026. This was down from 9.7% in the 12 months to April 2026.
Annual house price inflation was lowest in London. Prices fell by 3.7% in the 12 months to May 2026, down from an annual fall of 2.3% in the 12 months to April 2026. This is the ninth consecutive month where there has been an annual fall in house prices in London.
There was a modest annual price fall of 0.3% in Outer London in the 12 months to May 2026, but London’s negative annual rate primarily came from Inner London (negative 5.9%), where there were large annual falls in average house prices in several local authorities, such as Westminster and Tower Hamlets.
4. Private rents across the UK
The average monthly private rent in the UK was £1,388 in June 2026. This is £44 (3.3%) higher than 12 months ago.
England
Average monthly rent for England was £1,446 in June 2026, up by 3.4% (£47) from a year earlier. This annual rise was unchanged in the 12 months to May 2026 (3.4%).
Wales
Average monthly rent for Wales was £843 in June 2026, up by 4.9% (£39) from a year earlier. This annual rise was higher than in the 12 months to May 2026 (4.7%), but lower than the most recent peak of 8.9% in March 2025.
Scotland
Average monthly rent for Scotland was £1,012 in June 2026, up by 1.3% (£13) from a year earlier. This annual rise was higher than in the 12 months to May 2026 (1.0%) and is the first pick up in the annual inflation rate since December 2024. Scotland’s annual rate has been generally slowing since the record-high annual rise of 11.7% in August 2023.
Previous data collection limitations meant that historically, Scotland rents data, which are used in the Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) stock measure, were mainly for advertised new lets. The Scottish Government have been improving their data collection process, which is increasing their collection of achieved rents for both existing and new tenancies.
Northern Ireland
Average monthly rent in Northern Ireland was £877 in April 2026, up by 2.9% (£25) from a year earlier. This annual rise was lower than in the 12 months to March 2026 (3.3%) and the lowest in over five years. Northern Ireland’s annual inflation rate has been generally slowing since the record-high annual rise of 9.9% in April 2024.
Northern Ireland’s rents data are for advertised new lets. We advise users to bear this in mind when comparing across the UK.
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