New record rent across Great Britain as landlords brace for Renters’ Rights Bill and potential tax changes
- The average advertised rent across Great Britain has risen to a new record in August of £1,577 per calendar month
- Average advertised rents are now 3% higher than at this time last year, in line with Rightmove’s prediction for the year, with constrained supply contributing to rising rents:
- The number of available homes to rent is now 8% higher than at this time last year, the lowest this figure has been in 2025
- The number of available homes to rent is still 27% below the same month in pre-pandemic 2019
- Rents are rising quickest in the North West, and slowest in London
- As parliament returns from its summer recess, the Renters’ Rights Bill is on the horizon, while rumours emerged last week about taxing landlord rental income in the Autumn Budget:
- Rightmove’s landlord insights highlight that one in three landlords say they are considering exiting the market at some point, with 66% feeling unsupported by the government
- However, in the short-term, half (51%) of surveyed landlords plan to maintain the size of their portfolio over the next year, and 20% were looking to increase it.
The latest monthly rental market insights from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove, reveals that the average advertised rent across Great Britain has risen to a new record of £1,577 per calendar month (pcm).
The new record means average rents are now 3% higher than at this time last year, in line with Rightmove’s forecast for the whole of 2025.
Despite cooling tenant demand, the constrained number of homes to rent is contributing to rising rents. Compared with August last year, the number of homes available to rent has risen by 8%, however this is the lowest this figure has been all year.
Looking further back to pre-pandemic August 2019, the number of available homes to rent is still 27% below these levels, highlighting how tight supply remains in the long term despite short term improvements.
Average advertised rents are rising quickest in the North West, with average rents 10% higher than a year ago, and slowest in London, where average rents are now 2% higher than this time last year.
Landlord Insights
The rest of the year is set to be busy for the rental market, with the Renters’ Rights Bill and Autumn Budget on the horizon.
It is anticipated that the Renters’ Rights Bill could receive Royal Assent and become law this autumn, while rumours have already started about the property tax changes we could see in the Budget, including a tax on landlord rental income.
Insights obtained directly from landlords highlight their current concerns, which could see the already constrained supply of homes squeezed further.
One in three landlords say they are considering exiting the market at some point in the future, with two-thirds (66%) feeling unsupported by the government.
Legislative changes such as new taxation and regulation (68%) topped the list of landlord frustrations which is driving some to plan on decreasing their property portfolio over the next year.
However, in the short-term, half (51%) of surveyed landlords plan to maintain the size of their portfolio over the next twelve months, and 20% were looking to increase it.
The latest picture of buy-to-let lending is encouraging. The total number of buy-to-let loans given for residential investment in the first six months of this year was 16% higher than the first half of last year, according to the latest UK Finance data.
The number of loans for new rental home purchases is also outpacing remortgages, with a 23% uplift in number of loans for new rental home purchases versus a 14% increase in buy-to-let remortgaging.
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove says: “There are challenges for both tenants and landlords in the current market. While tenants looking to move have more choice and less competition from other tenants compared with a few years ago, some may still find their options limited with rents at record levels. Meanwhile, landlords are bracing for big legislative changes in the Renters’ Rights Bill, and the rumoured tax changes have added an element of uncertainty heading into the autumn.
“Landlords provide vital homes to tenants and have already faced an increase in taxation through stamp duty changes. It is essential that it remains attractive and viable to be a landlord so that tenants have comfortable places to live. If more landlords are driven out of the sector by more and more taxation, it will be tenants who lose out in the long run.”
August monthly rents
| Region | Average monthly rental payment | Annual change % |
| East Midlands | £1,134 | 2.3% |
| East of England | £1,599 | 2.5% |
| London | £2,699 | 2.0% |
| North East | £918 | 2.9% |
| North West | £1,278 | 9.7% |
| Scotland | £1,141 | 2.4% |
| South East | £1,828 | 2.4% |
| South West | £1,461 | 2.1% |
| UK | £1,577 | 2.9% |
| Wales | £1,107 | 2.6% |
| West Midlands | £1,196 | 2.5% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £1,051 | 2.5% |
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