ONS releases March 2026 private rent and house prices statistics

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its private rent and house prices bulletin for the UK on 25 March 2026¹. Average UK monthly private rents rose by 3.5% over the 12 months to February 2026, to £1,374, a provisional estimate and unchanged from the 3.5% recorded in the 12 months to January 2026¹. Average UK house prices rose by 1.3% over the 12 months to January 2026, to £268,000, down from 1.9% in the 12 months to December 2025¹.

The ONS said the UK rent figure was £47 (3.5%) higher than 12 months earlier¹. Average monthly rents by nation were as follows¹:

The ONS said England's annual rise was higher than in the 12 months to January 2026 (3.5%) and was the first increase in England's annual inflation rate since November 2024¹. Wales was down from a recent peak of 8.9% in March 2025, and Scotland's 2.4% was its lowest annual rise for more than four years¹. Northern Ireland rents data cover advertised new lets and are available only up to December 2025¹.

Within England, the North East had the highest rent annual inflation of any region, at 7.6%, down from 8.0% in the 12 months to January 2026¹. London had the lowest, at 1.7%, up from 1.1% the previous month and the first rise in London's annual inflation since a peak of 11.5% in November 2024¹. Average rent was highest in London (£2,273) and lowest in the North East (£770)¹. By local area, average monthly rent was highest in Kensington and Chelsea, London (£3,628) and lowest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (£544); excluding London, Oxford in the South East was highest at £1,937¹. By property type, the average UK monthly private rent was highest for detached properties (£1,567) and lowest for flats and maisonettes (£1,342)¹.

On house prices, the average for England was £290,000 in January 2026, up 1.1% (£3,000) from a year earlier; Wales was £210,000, up 2.0% (£4,000); and Scotland was £188,000, up 1.3% (£3,000)¹. Northern Ireland's average house price was £196,000 in Quarter 4 (October to December) 2025, up 7.5% (£14,000) from Quarter 4 2024¹. The North West had the highest English regional house price inflation, at 3.1%, down from 4.0% in the 12 months to December 2025¹. London had the lowest, with prices falling 1.7% over the 12 months to January 2026, the sixth consecutive month of annual falls there¹.

The ONS advises caution when using the rent data, which it describes as official statistics in development, and when comparing Scotland and Northern Ireland estimates with other UK countries because of data collection differences¹. It also notes that UK HPI first estimates are provisional and based on sales volumes reflecting around 48% of all sales in Great Britain in January 2026, and that revisions may be larger than usual¹.

Why it matters for households

The figures describe what tenants and homeowners across the UK are paying, and how fast those amounts are changing. For renters, the UK average of £1,374 a month is £47 more than a year earlier, with the pace of increase unchanged from the previous month¹. The gap between nations and regions is wide: the North East's 7.6% annual rent inflation is more than four times London's 1.7%, even though London's average rent of £2,273 is the highest in the UK¹. The ONS notes that Scotland's rent data are mainly for advertised new lets, and Northern Ireland's for advertised new lets, so those figures may not reflect what sitting tenants pay¹.

For owners, UK house price inflation slowed to 1.3% in the 12 months to January 2026 from 1.9% a month earlier¹. London recorded a 1.7% annual fall, its sixth consecutive monthly decline, while the North West recorded the highest regional growth at 3.1%¹. Because the house price estimates are provisional and based on around 48% of January sales in Great Britain, the ONS says revisions may be larger than usual¹.

What happens next

The next private rent and house prices release is due on 22 April 2026¹. The ONS says it will publish the next Private rental prices development plan on Thursday 7 May 2026¹.