Average advertised rents across Great Britain hit a new high of £1,577 per calendar month in August, 3% higher than last year. It comes as constrained supply continues to push prices up, according to the latest figures from Rightmove.
However, the imminent return to the table of the Renters’ Rights Bill on Monday and the possibility of taxation on landlord rental income also looming in the autumn budget continues to unnerve landlords.
Rightmove’s landlord insights suggest that one in three landlords say they are considering exiting the market at some point, 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 year, and one in five (20%) are looking to increase it.
Rental supply remains low
Rental supply has improved, with the number of available homes to rent now 8% higher than at this time last year. However, this is the lowest this figure has been in 2025 and the number of available homes to rent is still 27% below the same month in pre-pandemic 2019.
Regionally, rents are rising fastest 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.
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% |
The latest picture of buy-to-let lending is also encouraging, according to Rightmove. 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.”
