Rents rise 2% across England – Goodlord

Rents across England rose by 2% year-on-year in February, with the average monthly cost reaching £1,203, the latest Goodlord rental index reveals.

That compares with £1,180 recorded in February 2025.

The annual rent increase also sits below the 2.4% year-on-year rise reported in January and well under the 4% growth recorded at the same point last year.

The index draws on verified tenancy transactions and reflects agreed rental contracts rather than listing prices or advertised rents.

Market is stabilising

The platform’s chief executive, William Reeve, said: “Another month of cooling rental inflation reinforces the picture that the market is returning to some form of equilibrium after a series of record-breaking years.

“This is good news for tenants, particularly if rental price increases continue to sit below wage growth figures.

“It’s also a positive sign that there isn’t a supply shortage, despite the wider regulatory turbulence that landlords are navigating.”

He added: “If these trends continue into spring, it could provide a relatively benign backdrop for the Renters’ Rights Act implementation on 1 May.”

Average rent falls

Regional figures show different movements across the country and in the East of England, average rents fell to £1,305, down 4.5% from £1,367 a year earlier.

The South West also recorded a yearly fall, with rents edging down from £1,218 to £1,208, a drop of 1%.

Northern regions recorded the largest annual increases with the North West seeing average rents climbing from £1,002 in February 2025 to £1,096, an increase of 9.3%.

The North East posted a 5.3% rise, with rents reaching £806.

Regional rent rises

Elsewhere, rents in the East Midlands rose to £963, a yearly increase of 3.7%.

Greater London recorded a 3% increase, with average rents reaching £2,137.

In the South East, rents rose to £1,366, up 1.1% on the year.

The West Midlands saw rents reach £1,018, an increase of 1.8%, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded a rise of 2.4% to £930.

Month-on-month movements across England, average rents moved from £1,201 in January to £1,203 in February, an increase of 0.15%.

The North West again recorded the largest monthly increase with rents rising from £1,057 to £1,096, a rise of 3.64%.

Voids are shortening

Goodlord also reveals that voids shortened during February after a marked increase in January.

Across England, the average time between tenancies fell from 26 days to 22 days, a drop of 15.4%.

The most pronounced reduction was recorded in the South West, where voids fell from 28 days to 18 days.

In the East of England, the figure dropped from 31 days to 19 days.

In the East Midlands, they fell from 34 days to 25 days, while in the South East they moved from 27 days to 23 days.

In the North West, void periods dropped from 26 days to 22 days and the North East recorded a reduction from 26 days to 23 days.

The West Midlands saw voids fall from 30 days to 27 days.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, the change was smaller, with vacancy periods moving from 24 days to 22 days.