Renting in the UK Continues to Be Sh*t
Citation
James Pickford, 'Pressure Eases on London Tenants in Past Year Despite Late Rent Rise' FT Weekend (London, 11–12 July 2026) Money 3.
Summary
First things first: this was a massively data-heavy article and I have taken the figures below as I deemed relevant and quoted in accordance with how I interpreted them. Note that the article said 'year to June' which I believe is terribly ambiguous wording but have taken it to mean June 2025 to June 2026, not Jan 2026 to June 2026. I may be wrong, but I have caveated this now so don't blame me if you quote from this later – I do not accept liability.
Now, back to the summary:
Essentially, London rents and pre-tax salary needed to rent an average home fell. The former decreased from £2,875 (June 2025) to £2,385 (June 2026), while the latter decreased 17% to £71,550. Still too damn much. And, to top it off, rents in June increased 3.4%. London rents are 59% higher than the UK average of £1,500.
The north-west is doing quite well in terms of affordability (pre-tax salary required decreased 17.5% to £33,300) which makes it a contender for where I may one day move to. Rent still increased in June though.
Scotland, however, is getting a little more spenny and less affordable in terms of salary requirements, though the figures for this were not given.
Kim Lidbury, President of ARLA Propertymark:
'While rents continue to rise in areas such as London, the north-west and the south-east, the other regions are experiencing more stable pricing or modest declines'.
Another thing to consider is that demand is going up in the rental market but supply has decreased somewhat as the Renters' Reform Act's increased regulatory burden has caused, in the words of Colin Townsend of John Goodwin (estate agents):
'those with smaller portfolios [to run scared] and in many cases [get] out of the market'
Agents expect rents to continue rising, the average expectation being 2.5% rental growth in the next 12 months.
Perspective
It's far too spenny to rent in the UK, and while some areas are getting a little better, they may also get worse due in part to some landlords exiting the supply-side because of higher regulatory burden from the Renters' Reform Act.
I can forsee more work for firms that deal with evictions, as well as defences against evictions. This will interact interestingly with the Renters' Rights Act 2025.