New online tool targets London’s fair rent prices

The metrics here are still quite crude – no consideration of outside space or parking, transport links, schools, refurbishment etc. I can see this working better in London where there are lots of similar flats but in areas where we are usually considering houses this seems more risky than useful.

I assume its also drawing data only from traditional letting agents who subscribe to the tool, so may be quite limited in terms of comparables

The LonRes data appear to be based on data submitted by agents subscribed to the LonRes service so it does seem to be very limited in terms of comparables. The metrics are crude, they do not tell you anything about who these agents are, and the data are going to be historical data collected from a limited data set, not necessarily representative of the market as a whole or indicative of current market trends. In the event of a dispute I suspect it would still require a Chartered Surveyor to calculate market rent, a Chartered Surveyor is still going to be looking at advertised rent when calculating market rent, and a Chartered Surveyor is going to be looking at the unique features of properties that mean data like this are not necessarily representative of market rent.

Hometrack also provide estimates of market rent:

https://reports.hometrack.com/uk/products/market-intelligence/rental-market-report/

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 05/05/2026 – 12:51
PS: An AI bot tells me that the Automated Valuation Model provided by Hometrack is what powers Zoopla. This is what it says:

“Automated Valuation Model (AVM)…How are the Zoopla rental prices calculated?…Zoopla’s rental prices are calculated using the Automated Valuation Model (AVM), which is powered by Hometrack, the UK’s largest automated valuer of residential properties. This model generates an accurate picture of property prices by analyzing house price estimates and regional rental market trends. The rental estimates are not formal valuations but rather guides to the rental value of a home. They are designed to help guide homeowners in making informed decisions about their property’s rental potential. For a more accurate valuation, it is recommended to contact a local estate agent who can conduct a visit and take into account more property information, including features, exact location, and market conditions.”

The Renters Rights Act is going to push advertised rents up. I haven’t given my agent permission to share any of my data, e.g. on the amount of rent I generate. However, even if my agent shared my data anonymously without my permission, no online survey would have any data from any independent landlord not using an agent or estate agent. Even if you take the free advice of an estate agent on what you might charge in rent as a small landlord there is no law telling you that you have to tell that agent or any other what rent you actually achieve. It is the small, non-incorporated landlords that are most likely to raise rents following the implementation of the Renters Rights Act because these are the group most affected by being unable to offset their finance costs against rents, and who as a consequence of this, need to push up rents now in case they can’t do it later.

The Renters Rights Act doesn’t create any obligation upon landlords to share their personal financial details. Even if you had to submit PCM rent to some kind of landlord database there is nobody out there who has the legal right to validate the figures.

So I doubt that this “new online tool” will make much difference.

RRA bandwagon advertising. Trying to sell something that is not even needed. The info is already out there. An email from any estate agent asking an idea of what the current market rate is, will suffice. At any rent increase tribunal it is also up tot he T to give evidence to show why they believe the rent increase is ‘unjustified’. Where do they plan on getting their evidence from exactly to disprove this?