SpareRoom Rental Index
Average rents are updated every quarter - last updated July 2026
Flatshare supply decreases for the first time in three years
Renting a room in the UK now costs £761 per month on average (Q2 2026), a 0.5% increase on the previous year. Across the UK, rents have risen almost 7% in the past three years.
As phase one of the Renter’s Right Act came into effect (from 1 May), flatshare room supply decreased (-3.2%) on the previous year, ending a run of three years of growth.
Biggest change regionally
Six of the UK’s nine regions saw record rent highs in Q2 2026. The largest year-on-year rent rise has been in South West England (+1.6%) but East Anglia has seen the biggest three-year increase; up 9.9%.
Greater London is the only region that has seen a year-on-year rent fall, with room rents in the capital down by 0.2%.
Average rents across the UK and how they’ve changed:
| Region | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| East Anglia | £684 | 1.5% |
| East Midlands | £568 | 0.5% |
| Greater London | £915 | -0.2% |
| North East England | £552 | 0.0% |
| North West England | £614 | 1.2% |
| South East England | £703 | 1.5% |
| South West England | £678 | 1.6% |
| West Midlands | £587 | 0.9% |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | £569 | 0.1% |
| Whole of UK | £761 | 0.5% |
Wales and Northern Ireland rent reaches record highs
In the three years to Q2 2026, rents have risen 12% in Northern Ireland, and are up 3.8% year on year. Rents in Wales have risen 9.3% in three years, with both countries reaching record highs.
| Country | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| England | £767 | 0.5% |
| Northern Ireland | £580 | 3.8% |
| Scotland | £698 | 1.1% |
| Wales | £594 | 1.0% |
London rent stays steady
The average room rent in inner London remains steady at £979 per month - only a small increase (+0.3%) on Q2 2025. In outer London, rents fell slightly (-0.6%), with an average monthly rent of £794.
East and north London are the most affordable areas in the capital, with average rents of £933 and £937 per month respectively.
Average rents have changed year on year in the eight inner London postcode areas:
| London postcodes | Average monthly room rent | Annual change |
| E | £933 | -0.7% |
| EC | £1281 | 5.6%% |
| N | £937 | -0.7% |
| NW | £977 | -0.4% |
| SE | £961 | 1.0% |
| SW | £1039 | 1.7% |
| W | £1043 | 1.6% |
| WC | £1313 | 1.2% |
Inner London rents for sub-£800 pcm
Renters seeking below-average inner London rent should consider Muswell Hill (£884) in north London and Norwood (£804) in south-east London, where room rents have seen the highest year-on-year falls (-11.4% and -7.2% respectively). But for rents under £800 per month, Penge (£796) and Winchmore Hill (£797) are two of the most affordable options.
London postcodes sub-£800 per month:
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent |
| E12 (Manor Park) | £729 |
| E6 (East Ham) | £734 |
| E7 (Forest Gate) | £778 |
| N18 (Upper Edmonton) | £789 |
| N9 (Lower Edmonton) | £789 |
| E4 (Chingford) | £792 |
| SE20 (Penge) | £796 |
| N21 (Winchmore Hill) | £797 |
| E13 (Plaistow) | £800 |
UK’s cheapest towns and cities
These are the cheapest towns and cities to rent in the UK (outside of London):
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent |
| Burnley | £461 |
| Middlesbrough | £469 |
| Normanton | £469 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £479 |
| Huddersfield | £484 |
| Pontypridd | £485 |
| Bootle | £487 |
| Barnsley | £491 |
| Bradford | £494 |
| Grimsby | £496 |
UK’s most expensive towns and cities
These are the most expensive towns and cities to rent in the UK (outside of London):
| Town/City | Average monthly room rent |
| Ascot | £860 |
| Hampton | £861 |
| Weybridge | £864 |
| Potters Bar | £882 |
| Wembley | £892 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £907 |
| Twickenham | £920 |
| Brentford | £951 |
| Worcester Park | £967 |
| Richmond | £1,006 |
Methodology
SpareRoom’s Quarterly Rental Index data compares data from Q2 2026 with Q2 2025, based on more than 400,000 UK room ads (inclusive of bills) across both periods. Postcodes/towns/cities with a sample size of less than 25 were excluded. ‘Inner London’ data covers E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W & WC postcodes.