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Renting in England · Data

The housing benefit gap

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the most Universal Credit or Housing Benefit can pay towards rent. In the typical council in England it covers 76.5% of the average two-bedroom rent, leaving £226 a month to find. It covers less than 80% in 220 of 294 councils, and less than 70% in 36.

ONS average rents for September 2026, published 21 October 2026 · LHA rates for April 2026 to March 2027

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Across England, by size of home

The typical (median) council, and how many of the 294 councils fall short. The bigger the home, the smaller the share LHA covers.

HomeTypical share coveredTypical gap a monthCouncils under 80%Under 70%
1 bedroom79.2%£16216528
2 bedrooms76.5%£22622036
3 bedrooms75.6%£28722454
4 bedrooms70.8%£491265131

LHA is meant to sit below the average. It is set at the level three in ten local rents fall below, not the average, and the rates have been frozen since April 2024, when they were set from 2023 rents. So some gap is by design; the freeze has widened it.

What it means

For renters, for councils and for the benefits bill. Each point names its sources; where an explanation is ours, we say so. For how rents themselves are moving, council by council, see the rent tracker.

Rents have moved on; the allowance hasn’t

Since LHA rates were last set, in April 2024, the average private rent in England has risen 13.4%, and more in the North East (18.6%) and the North West (17.6%). The allowance has not moved. The government held the rates for 2026-27 on Budget day 2025, and they still rest on rents from 2023. The 28 October 2026 Budget did not mention LHA, so there is still no decision on the rates from April 2027.

Every month the rates stay frozen while rents rise, the gap widens. The Resolution Foundation expects it to reach 30% of rents across Great Britain by March 2028 if nothing changes.

Source: RenterCheck rent tracker, from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents · Written statement HCWS1101, Statutory review of benefit rates 2026/27, 26 November 2025 · HM Treasury, Budget 2026, 28 October 2026 · Resolution Foundation, Saving private renters, 19 September 2026

Who it touches

Private renting is home to 4.7 million households in England, 19% of all households, and the sector has doubled since the early 2000s. About 1.1 million of those households, a quarter, get help with their rent.

For most of them, the help no longer covers it: in May 2026, 58% of Universal Credit households getting help with housing paid more rent than their LHA rate, the Resolution Foundation found.

Source: English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025, headline findings · Resolution Foundation, Saving private renters, 19 September 2026

Very few homes are within reach

The gap is wider still for anyone moving. Our figures compare LHA with the average rent across all tenancies, including long-running ones; homes advertised today ask more. Crisis found that only 1.8% of private rental listings in England in 2025/26 were affordable at LHA rates.

So a renter on benefits who has to move, because a landlord sells or a family grows, can rarely find a home the allowance covers, and has to make up the difference from income meant for food, fuel and bills.

Source: Crisis, No home to go to, 6 July 2026

On top of the cost of living

Prices rose 3.5% in the year to September 2026, and regular pay only 0.8% faster than prices. A rent shortfall comes out of a budget that is already stretched.

Of working-age adults in private-renting families getting help with housing, 21% could not keep their home warm and 13% could not afford three meals a day, the Resolution Foundation found; in a Citizens Advice poll, 48% of private renters on Universal Credit had cut back on essentials in the past six months.

Source: ONS Consumer price inflation, September 2026 · ONS Average weekly earnings, October 2026 · Resolution Foundation, Saving private renters, 19 September 2026 · Crisis, No home to go to, 6 July 2026

Councils pick up the cost

The end of a private tenancy is the most common reason households need council help to avoid homelessness: 36% of prevention cases in January to March 2026. At the end of March, 135,580 households were in temporary accommodation in England, up 3.6% in a year, and councils spent £4.0 billion on homelessness in 2025-26 (£2.3 billion net).

Councils could top up rents with Discretionary Housing Payments, and LHA shortfalls were the biggest single use of them. From April 2026 those payments became part of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a fixed pot that has to stretch further as the gap grows. Our reading: some of what the freeze saves in benefits comes back as council spending on homelessness.

Source: MHCLG Statutory homelessness in England, January to March 2026 · MHCLG Local authority revenue expenditure 2025 to 2026, first release · DWP Use of Discretionary Housing Payments, April 2025 to March 2026 · DWP The Crisis and Resilience Fund: guidance for councils in England

Building more homes won’t close it soon

England added 208,600 homes in 2024-25, and about 437,900 between July 2024 and September 2026, around 29% of the government’s 1.5 million target. The number of privately rented homes still grew, to 5.03 million in March 2025.

But in 2024, 31% of landlords planned to cut the number of homes they let and 38% were unwilling to let to people on housing support. Our reading: more homes should ease rents over time, but it doesn’t change what a frozen allowance pays now, and renters on benefits are the first to lose out where landlords choose between tenants.

Source: MHCLG Housing supply: net additional dwellings, 2024 to 2025 · MHCLG Housing supply: indicators of new supply, April to June 2026 · MHCLG Dwelling stock estimates, 31 March 2025 · MHCLG English Private Landlord Survey 2024

The benefits bill

Housing support cost £36.0 billion across Great Britain in 2024/25, £12.6 billion of it for private renters, which is forecast to reach £13.4 billion in 2026/27. The government’s stated reasons for the freeze include “the challenging fiscal context”; the 2024 increase cost about £7 billion over five years.

The Resolution Foundation estimates that re-linking LHA to local rents from April 2027 would cost about £2 billion a year by 2029-30, and found that only about 10p of every £1 of the 2024 increase went into higher rents, so most of it reached tenants rather than landlords. Last year the decision came in the review of benefit rates published on Budget day. The 28 October 2026 Budget document does not mention LHA, and the rates for 2027-28 have not yet been announced.

Source: DWP Benefit expenditure and caseload tables, Spring Forecast 2026 · Written answer 101232, 8 January 2026 · Written answer 31009, 16 October 2026 · HM Treasury, Budget 2026, 28 October 2026 · Resolution Foundation, Saving private renters, 19 September 2026

How our figure compares

We compare LHA with the average rent, which is what a typical home costs. LHA itself is set at the 30th percentile, the level three in ten local rents fall below, and that is what the government and most researchers measure against. On that basis the Resolution Foundation puts the typical two-bedroom shortfall in England at £158 a month; on the average, ours is larger. Both show the same thing: the gap is wide, and growing.

Source: Resolution Foundation, Saving private renters, 19 September 2026

Written 28 October 2026.

By region

Two-bedroom homes, the typical council in each region, lowest share first. The North West has the lowest.

RegionTypical share coveredTypical gap a monthCouncils under 70%
North West71.1%£22010 of 35
London73.1%£50512 of 32
North East73.8%£1793 of 12
Yorkshire and The Humber76.3%£1630 of 15
South West76.6%£2172 of 26
West Midlands76.7%£2083 of 30
East Midlands77.0%£1830 of 35
East of England77.3%£2712 of 45
South East78.6%£2654 of 64

The biggest gaps

Two-bedroom homes, the largest shortfall in pounds. Central London’s rates are held at the national maximum, so its gaps are about that cap as much as the freeze. Outside London, the biggest gap is in Cambridge: £663 a month.

CouncilAverage 2-bed rentMost LHA paysGap a monthCovered
Kensington and ChelseaLHA area: Central London£3,475£1,794£1,68151.6%
WestminsterLHA area: Central London£3,320£1,794£1,52654.0%
Hammersmith and FulhamLHA area: Inner West London£2,656£1,625£1,03161.2%
IslingtonLHA area: Inner North London£2,712£1,794£91866.1%
CamdenLHA area: Inner North London£2,634£1,794£84068.1%
SouthwarkLHA area: Inner South East London£2,387£1,550£83764.9%
LambethLHA area: Inner South East London£2,353£1,550£80365.9%
WandsworthLHA area: Inner South West London£2,469£1,700£76968.9%
HackneyLHA area: Inner East London£2,498£1,750£74870.1%
Richmond upon ThamesLHA area: Outer South West London£2,237£1,495£74266.8%

The smallest share covered

Two-bedroom homes, the lowest share of the average rent LHA covers. Councils whose renters are split between LHA areas are left out of these lists, as no single rate stands for them.

CouncilAverage 2-bed rentMost LHA paysGap a monthCovered
Kensington and ChelseaLHA area: Central London£3,475£1,794£1,68151.6%
WestminsterLHA area: Central London£3,320£1,794£1,52654.0%
Newcastle upon TyneLHA area: Tyneside£1,010£550£46054.5%
CambridgeLHA area: Cambridge£1,613£950£66358.9%
Hammersmith and FulhamLHA area: Inner West London£2,656£1,625£1,03161.2%
RossendaleLHA area: East Lancs£758£475£28362.7%
Bath and North East SomersetLHA area: Bath£1,530£980£55064.1%
Newcastle-under-LymeLHA area: Staffordshire North£747£480£26764.3%
BuryLHA area: Bolton and Bury£889£575£31464.7%
LichfieldLHA area: Mid Staffs£965£625£34064.8%

Where LHA comes closest

LHA areas are wider than councils. A cheaper town that shares an area with a dearer city gets the city’s higher rate, so it comes off best, and the city worst.

CouncilAverage 2-bed rentMost LHA paysGap a monthCovered
East CambridgeshireLHA area: Cambridge£962£950£1298.8%
HartlepoolLHA area: Teesside£512£475£3792.8%
West OxfordshireLHA area: Oxford£1,218£1,125£9392.4%
MaldonLHA area: Chelmsford£1,031£950£8192.1%
Forest of DeanLHA area: Gloucester£800£725£7590.6%

Every council

The share of the average rent LHA covers, by bedrooms, and the gap a month. A council marked * has renters in more than one LHA area, so its figure is for the area most of them live in.

Council1-bed2-bed3-bed4-bed
Adur *Brighton and Hove91.7%£83 short92.0%£105 short89.8%£164 short95.9%£85 short
Amber ValleyDerby76.4%£139 short79.4%£154 short75.8%£223 short72.4%£357 short
ArunWorthing88.9%£95 short82.7%£199 short83.9%£227 short73.4%£532 short
Ashfield *North Nottingham79.2%£117 short75.4%£179 short68.7%£267 short67.6%£389 short
AshfordAshford83.5%£148 short74.0%£298 short77.6%£316 short70.3%£609 short
Babergh *Bury St Edmunds87.6%£89 short84.1%£146 short85.6%£161 short81.0%£305 short
Barking and DagenhamOuter North East London72.6%£378 short72.5%£473 short78.9%£402 short71.3%£723 short
Barnet *Outer North London76.6%£352 short75.2%£462 short75.0%£566 short68.8%£999 short
BarnsleyBarnsley81.9%£92 short71.3%£181 short72.9%£204 short71.2%£313 short
BasildonSouth West Essex78.7%£210 short74.7%£322 short79.3%£313 short70.5%£628 short
Basingstoke and DeaneBasingstoke83.7%£152 short78.3%£263 short78.2%£321 short67.6%£671 short
BassetlawNorth Nottingham87.6%£63 short82.8%£114 short72.3%£224 short70.8%£334 short
Bath and North East SomersetBath67.2%£397 short64.1%£550 short65.9%£620 short76.4%£601 short
BedfordBedford81.0%£152 short79.9%£207 short79.1%£265 short71.7%£512 short
BexleyOuter South East London85.3%£181 short85.0%£229 short82.9%£320 short74.1%£630 short
BirminghamBirmingham83.3%£139 short74.3%£259 short72.3%£316 short69.3%£487 short
BlabyLeicester75.9%£171 short71.3%£262 short71.6%£308 short66.9%£519 short
Blackburn with DarwenEast Lancs79.4%£110 short71.6%£188 short76.0%£188 short71.4%£318 short
BlackpoolFylde Coast79.5%£103 short82.6%£114 short78.3%£173 short70.4%£313 short
Bolsover *North Nottingham90.3%£48 short86.1%£89 short78.9%£156 short72.7%£304 short
BoltonBolton and Bury72.2%£183 short70.0%£247 short70.2%£297 short65.0%£511 short
BostonLincolnshire Fens82.4%£107 short81.5%£142 short79.3%£192 short67.2%£423 short
Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleBournemouth75.7%£223 short74.8%£295 short78.9%£308 short74.4%£533 short
Bracknell ForestReading78.7%£230 short80.4%£267 short78.0%£366 short68.9%£748 short
BradfordBradford and South Dales82.6%£95 short78.4%£145 short79.1%£168 short68.2%£349 short
Braintree *Chelmsford92.8%£62 short85.7%£158 short87.8%£166 short73.0%£537 short
Breckland *Central Norfolk and Norwich88.1%£80 short81.5%£158 short76.0%£253 short75.1%£381 short
Brent *Inner North London91.3%£138 short92.6%£143 short94.9%£117 short100.1%-£2 short
BrentwoodSouth West Essex69.9%£334 short67.8%£451 short69.7%£521 short62.2%£913 short
Brighton and HoveBrighton and Hove77.1%£274 short78.7%£325 short80.3%£356 short80.4%£489 short
BristolBristol73.2%£330 short70.6%£456 short73.5%£469 short72.3%£708 short
BroadlandCentral Norfolk and Norwich85.0%£104 short77.5%£202 short73.9%£283 short74.1%£403 short
BromleyOuter South East London79.7%£268 short78.8%£349 short77.4%£452 short61.2%£1,143 short
BromsgroveWorcester North71.4%£206 short71.9%£254 short68.3%£348 short61.7%£618 short
BroxbourneSouth East Herts73.5%£301 short72.1%£406 short76.6%£418 short67.8%£806 short
BroxtoweNottingham84.5%£101 short77.4%£190 short74.6%£255 short70.0%£416 short
Buckinghamshire *Chilterns81.5%£193 short83.3%£221 short89.7%£166 short84.2%£376 short
BurnleyWest Pennine85.8%£66 short76.3%£140 short72.3%£193 short79.8%£193 short
BuryBolton and Bury69.2%£211 short64.7%£314 short65.7%£366 short60.9%£609 short
CalderdaleHalifax79.9%£111 short76.3%£163 short76.1%£196 short66.4%£380 short
CambridgeCambridge71.7%£355 short58.9%£663 short59.0%£783 short54.6%£1,207 short
CamdenInner North London69.8%£623 short68.1%£840 short70.3%£911 short76.8%£926 short
Cannock ChaseMid Staffs84.9%£89 short79.9%£157 short76.6%£226 short73.9%£352 short
CanterburyCanterbury76.7%£205 short78.6%£243 short79.9%£277 short68.7%£598 short
Castle PointSouthend72.0%£265 short74.7%£297 short76.9%£330 short66.0%£696 short
Central Bedfordshire *Bedford74.7%£220 short74.7%£280 short72.2%£386 short63.2%£757 short
CharnwoodLeicester79.1%£143 short76.2%£203 short74.7%£262 short70.7%£436 short
ChelmsfordChelmsford75.1%£263 short73.6%£341 short77.8%£343 short65.3%£769 short
CheltenhamCheltenham71.4%£250 short72.5%£303 short73.3%£364 short76.6%£450 short
CherwellCherwell Valley78.8%£209 short77.3%£279 short79.8%£300 short65.2%£774 short
Cheshire East *South Cheshire67.8%£226 short63.5%£330 short61.0%£435 short61.3%£627 short
Cheshire West and ChesterWest Cheshire75.2%£181 short73.2%£247 short70.2%£337 short75.2%£403 short
ChesterfieldChesterfield83.0%£92 short75.2%£173 short71.9%£235 short72.5%£323 short
ChichesterChichester82.7%£165 short77.3%£279 short80.8%£292 short75.1%£530 short
ChorleyCentral Lancs74.9%£151 short74.9%£193 short71.4%£260 short69.2%£412 short
ColchesterColchester76.1%£196 short74.6%£271 short74.7%£331 short69.4%£551 short
Cornwall *Kernow West80.3%£135 short79.2%£182 short76.0%£258 short73.5%£396 short
CotswoldCheltenham71.3%£252 short71.7%£315 short73.7%£356 short71.5%£585 short
County DurhamDurham85.7%£66 short68.7%£182 short68.1%£222 short65.7%£344 short
CoventryCoventry75.7%£185 short73.8%£240 short72.5%£294 short68.7%£455 short
CrawleyCrawley and Reigate80.3%£211 short79.0%£292 short82.6%£287 short77.1%£521 short
CroydonOuter South London75.0%£317 short76.1%£377 short80.5%£364 short72.9%£724 short
Cumberland *North Cumbria77.1%£117 short73.2%£174 short74.5%£202 short67.1%£363 short
DacorumSouth West Herts85.5%£161 short89.7%£144 short89.4%£177 short86.4%£316 short
DarlingtonDarlington72.4%£137 short71.3%£181 short68.9%£239 short63.5%£400 short
DartfordNorth West Kent68.5%£345 short69.9%£429 short69.9%£516 short61.0%£927 short
DerbyDerby73.2%£165 short75.5%£193 short73.8%£249 short70.9%£383 short
Derbyshire DalesPeaks and Dales79.2%£125 short77.5%£173 short75.5%£225 short65.8%£467 short
DoncasterDoncaster85.7%£71 short78.0%£141 short72.1%£213 short66.9%£358 short
Dorset *Mid and West Dorset81.2%£138 short77.4%£219 short75.4%£294 short74.1%£438 short
DoverDover-Shepway69.0%£229 short71.9%£271 short73.1%£319 short71.2%£486 short
DudleyBlack Country81.3%£114 short80.1%£155 short79.8%£190 short74.3%£320 short
Ealing *Inner West London82.2%£292 short79.3%£424 short84.5%£377 short76.9%£766 short
East CambridgeshireCambridge122.6%-£166 short98.8%£12 short96.0%£47 short86.8%£221 short
East Devon *Mid and East Devon76.7%£161 short75.8%£219 short72.8%£308 short67.5%£529 short
East Hampshire *Blackwater Valley88.6%£103 short84.6%£182 short87.0%£193 short85.8%£282 short
East Hertfordshire *South East Herts76.1%£262 short75.2%£347 short81.0%£322 short68.6%£777 short
East LindseyWolds and Coast76.2%£125 short73.9%£175 short72.9%£223 short58.6%£476 short
East Riding of YorkshireHull and East Riding75.7%£122 short73.1%£175 short68.8%£249 short60.2%£462 short
East StaffordshireEastern Staffordshire80.4%£121 short77.0%£179 short76.5%£223 short70.0%£423 short
East Suffolk *Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth72.7%£166 short72.1%£223 short66.5%£317 short61.1%£525 short
EastbourneEastbourne87.5%£103 short83.1%£183 short82.5%£230 short77.6%£404 short
EastleighSouthampton81.0%£164 short78.5%£240 short78.6%£293 short77.3%£426 short
ElmbridgeWalton75.5%£309 short76.5%£372 short75.1%£482 short68.7%£901 short
EnfieldOuter North London80.6%£276 short79.1%£370 short80.5%£411 short78.1%£617 short
Epping Forest *Outer North East London81.2%£231 short78.8%£336 short77.2%£444 short62.5%£1,082 short
Epsom and EwellOuter South London79.4%£247 short80.1%£298 short79.1%£396 short74.1%£682 short
ErewashNottingham91.2%£53 short82.1%£142 short78.6%£204 short73.7%£347 short
ExeterExeter68.9%£284 short70.4%£335 short69.8%£412 short67.8%£618 short
Fareham *Portsmouth83.4%£138 short78.5%£231 short75.0%£334 short67.0%£639 short
Fenland *Peterborough91.6%£53 short86.5%£109 short82.5%£172 short75.4%£343 short
Folkestone and HytheDover-Shepway62.8%£302 short66.8%£346 short66.6%£433 short69.0%£539 short
Forest of DeanGloucester92.6%£44 short90.6%£75 short88.4%£111 short82.8%£249 short
FyldeFylde Coast65.3%£213 short68.5%£249 short65.8%£325 short52.6%£669 short
GatesheadTyneside82.6%£103 short75.7%£177 short76.7%£198 short77.0%£277 short
GedlingNottingham86.9%£83 short81.4%£149 short76.1%£235 short69.1%£434 short
GloucesterGloucester73.5%£198 short74.3%£251 short69.7%£369 short72.2%£463 short
GosportPortsmouth84.2%£130 short80.6%£204 short78.2%£279 short75.0%£434 short
GraveshamNorth West Kent82.0%£165 short82.3%£214 short81.3%£276 short69.2%£646 short
Great YarmouthLowestoft and Great Yarmouth74.8%£149 short74.7%£195 short67.5%£303 short62.3%£499 short
Greenwich *Outer South East London67.1%£514 short67.2%£635 short69.0%£697 short59.9%£1,206 short
GuildfordGuildford79.4%£247 short78.7%£332 short78.4%£407 short77.5%£575 short
HackneyInner East London71.7%£567 short70.1%£748 short75.6%£696 short81.4%£686 short
HaltonNorth Cheshire86.5%£74 short85.5%£100 short83.5%£137 short85.5%£169 short
Hammersmith and FulhamInner West London66.7%£675 short61.2%£1,031 short67.6%£981 short60.2%£1,684 short
HarboroughLeicester75.1%£179 short70.7%£269 short68.8%£352 short65.3%£559 short
HaringeyOuter North London70.0%£493 short68.6%£640 short71.7%£668 short68.8%£996 short
HarlowHarlow and Stortford78.8%£218 short76.8%£310 short76.3%£375 short62.1%£838 short
HarrowNorth West London78.9%£295 short78.6%£368 short81.2%£389 short75.1%£695 short
Hart *Blackwater Valley78.0%£225 short76.6%£306 short81.7%£291 short73.7%£607 short
HartlepoolTeesside101.7%-£7 short92.8%£37 short89.9%£62 short92.6%£60 short
HastingsSussex East85.4%£102 short83.5%£148 short86.2%£152 short76.0%£364 short
HavantPortsmouth81.1%£162 short77.4%£247 short73.3%£364 short68.2%£607 short
HaveringOuter North East London82.1%£218 short81.0%£294 short81.0%£351 short72.0%£699 short
HerefordshireHerefordshire78.8%£128 short76.7%£182 short77.6%£217 short71.7%£385 short
HertsmereSouth West Herts74.9%£319 short77.2%£369 short76.5%£460 short70.8%£823 short
High Peak *Tameside and Glossop84.0%£100 short73.9%£212 short75.5%£243 short80.3%£283 short
Hillingdon *Outer West London79.4%£260 short81.4%£298 short76.5%£454 short67.8%£854 short
Hinckley and BosworthLeicester84.8%£97 short77.2%£192 short75.5%£252 short74.6%£358 short
HorshamCrawley and Reigate83.3%£173 short80.5%£266 short79.5%£353 short71.3%£704 short
Hounslow *Outer West London62.9%£589 short66.5%£656 short65.4%£779 short58.2%£1,293 short
HuntingdonshireHuntingdon86.7%£100 short81.6%£179 short80.6%£229 short73.1%£460 short
HyndburnEast Lancs87.3%£62 short76.1%£149 short81.5%£135 short84.0%£151 short
IpswichIpswich79.5%£153 short77.9%£204 short75.9%£254 short74.2%£382 short
Isle of WightIsle of Wight77.6%£149 short74.4%£224 short74.6%£277 short65.5%£524 short
IslingtonInner North London65.8%£749 short66.1%£918 short71.5%£862 short71.9%£1,193 short
Kensington and ChelseaCentral London53.9%£1,234 short51.6%£1,681 short52.3%£1,970 short53.4%£2,668 short
King's Lynn and West NorfolkKings Lynn84.3%£102 short76.6%£199 short73.5%£279 short69.5%£461 short
Kingston upon HullHull and East Riding76.0%£120 short76.2%£148 short73.8%£195 short70.9%£287 short
Kingston upon ThamesOuter South West London86.6%£186 short84.7%£270 short83.1%£367 short89.4%£302 short
KirkleesKirklees76.9%£135 short73.5%£189 short74.8%£219 short66.9%£409 short
KnowsleyGreater Liverpool83.1%£102 short77.4%£174 short69.7%£282 short65.8%£454 short
LambethInner South East London68.5%£595 short65.9%£803 short72.3%£746 short70.3%£1,109 short
LancasterLancaster78.4%£131 short75.9%£183 short69.7%£283 short58.7%£510 short
LeedsLeeds86.2%£108 short79.3%£202 short74.4%£292 short70.8%£494 short
LeicesterLeicester75.7%£173 short73.0%£240 short74.3%£268 short72.4%£400 short
Lewes *Brighton and Hove98.9%£10 short97.9%£26 short95.5%£68 short91.5%£186 short
LewishamInner South East London88.8%£164 short86.4%£243 short94.6%£112 short96.5%£94 short
LichfieldMid Staffs67.8%£238 short64.8%£340 short64.0%£416 short58.8%£697 short
LincolnLincoln74.8%£167 short72.1%£232 short67.8%£321 short67.8%£440 short
LiverpoolGreater Liverpool72.7%£188 short70.8%£245 short67.2%£317 short67.4%£423 short
LutonLuton76.7%£213 short78.0%£247 short81.6%£248 short73.8%£479 short
MaidstoneMaidstone81.3%£172 short75.5%£294 short81.7%£268 short78.3%£429 short
MaldonChelmsford100.1%-£1 short92.1%£81 short96.5%£44 short76.3%£451 short
Malvern HillsWorcester South80.9%£134 short79.0%£186 short75.3%£271 short76.9%£345 short
ManchesterCentral Greater Manchester77.0%£232 short70.6%£364 short65.9%£491 short66.7%£674 short
MansfieldNorth Nottingham80.2%£110 short77.0%£164 short68.5%£269 short69.5%£356 short
MedwayMedway and Swale75.3%£222 short74.6%£290 short70.1%£400 short71.2%£527 short
MeltonLeicester96.6%£19 short88.4%£85 short85.7%£129 short76.3%£326 short
Merton *Outer South West London72.9%£445 short73.6%£537 short74.4%£618 short77.7%£731 short
Mid Devon *Mid and East Devon82.4%£113 short84.4%£127 short82.6%£174 short75.5%£356 short
Mid Suffolk *Ipswich82.1%£130 short77.3%£211 short70.8%£330 short69.1%£493 short
Mid SussexCrawley and Reigate84.5%£158 short84.5%£202 short83.4%£271 short78.5%£479 short
MiddlesbroughTeesside82.3%£88 short74.9%£159 short72.9%£204 short75.7%£241 short
Milton KeynesMilton Keynes79.2%£204 short75.9%£294 short82.1%£260 short71.5%£597 short
Mole Valley *Walton82.7%£199 short82.5%£257 short77.4%£423 short76.0%£625 short
New Forest *Southampton80.6%£168 short76.9%£263 short76.9%£323 short72.6%£547 short
Newark and Sherwood *Grantham and Newark75.6%£137 short77.4%£168 short73.0%£242 short66.2%£446 short
Newcastle upon TyneTyneside60.0%£326 short54.5%£460 short54.2%£549 short50.2%£919 short
Newcastle-under-LymeStaffordshire North73.1%£156 short64.3%£267 short66.2%£304 short60.9%£514 short
NewhamOuter East London73.6%£431 short70.2%£595 short75.6%£541 short72.8%£727 short
North DevonNorth Devon82.2%£105 short82.7%£135 short80.1%£192 short74.6%£339 short
North East Derbyshire *Chesterfield79.1%£119 short72.5%£199 short68.2%£280 short70.2%£360 short
North East LincolnshireGrimsby86.2%£63 short81.8%£107 short76.0%£165 short75.0%£240 short
North HertfordshireStevenage and North Herts75.2%£256 short75.4%£318 short78.7%£338 short71.0%£652 short
North KestevenLincoln85.2%£86 short78.9%£160 short73.0%£250 short70.6%£386 short
North LincolnshireScunthorpe86.9%£62 short80.2%£122 short76.5%£177 short68.5%£334 short
North NorfolkCentral Norfolk and Norwich94.7%£33 short85.9%£114 short79.8%£203 short84.8%£206 short
North NorthamptonshireNorthants Central80.2%£136 short78.5%£190 short74.2%£277 short64.9%£538 short
North Somerset *Weston-S-Mare70.6%£242 short69.3%£332 short68.5%£425 short67.5%£601 short
North TynesideTyneside82.8%£102 short74.5%£188 short71.6%£258 short75.5%£300 short
North Warwickshire *Coventry79.8%£146 short76.4%£209 short73.0%£286 short62.4%£602 short
North West LeicestershireLeicester84.8%£97 short78.9%£174 short77.7%£223 short73.6%£377 short
North Yorkshire *Scarborough71.4%£170 short71.3%£221 short68.8%£295 short53.3%£636 short
NorthumberlandNorthumberland75.6%£121 short67.4%£206 short69.0%£238 short67.0%£374 short
NorwichCentral Norfolk and Norwich75.5%£191 short71.2%£281 short69.9%£344 short72.5%£436 short
NottinghamNottingham74.8%£185 short71.0%£266 short71.2%£304 short66.3%£492 short
Nuneaton and BedworthCoventry88.6%£74 short81.3%£155 short77.0%£231 short68.8%£453 short
Oadby and WigstonLeicester74.0%£190 short73.3%£237 short69.2%£345 short67.5%£506 short
OldhamOldham and Rochdale67.1%£233 short65.0%£311 short64.5%£383 short64.8%£516 short
OxfordOxford66.9%£446 short67.7%£537 short65.3%£705 short61.4%£1,100 short
PendleWest Pennine80.2%£99 short70.8%£186 short68.0%£238 short69.4%£337 short
PeterboroughPeterborough80.9%£136 short78.1%£196 short74.9%£272 short67.4%£508 short
PlymouthPlymouth77.8%£157 short75.9%£214 short74.8%£269 short65.1%£523 short
PortsmouthPortsmouth77.0%£208 short74.2%£294 short73.2%£366 short66.1%£668 short
PrestonCentral Lancs77.7%£129 short78.7%£156 short75.6%£210 short73.9%£326 short
ReadingReading75.9%£270 short78.3%£304 short77.4%£380 short69.9%£711 short
RedbridgeOuter North East London72.8%£373 short74.0%£439 short75.3%£492 short66.1%£924 short
Redcar and ClevelandTeesside89.7%£47 short77.9%£135 short75.9%£175 short70.8%£309 short
RedditchWorcester North75.2%£170 short73.3%£237 short70.7%£311 short68.4%£460 short
Reigate and BansteadCrawley and Reigate74.8%£289 short73.7%£393 short74.5%£467 short67.9%£828 short
Ribble Valley *East Lancs69.6%£186 short61.2%£301 short63.2%£346 short56.6%£609 short
Richmond upon ThamesOuter South West London68.8%£544 short66.8%£742 short66.6%£903 short64.8%£1,386 short
Rochdale *Oldham and Rochdale76.1%£149 short71.9%£226 short72.0%£270 short68.7%£433 short
RochfordSouthend76.3%£211 short74.7%£296 short76.9%£331 short72.1%£523 short
RossendaleEast Lancs71.7%£168 short62.7%£283 short65.2%£317 short64.6%£436 short
RotherSussex East74.2%£207 short72.9%£279 short73.4%£344 short60.2%£760 short
RotherhamRotherham87.8%£60 short80.9%£118 short73.6%£197 short75.8%£262 short
RugbyRugby and East78.7%£161 short77.5%£210 short75.5%£276 short72.4%£458 short
RunnymedeWalton86.9%£143 short86.2%£194 short86.0%£237 short81.3%£454 short
RushcliffeNottingham75.8%£176 short72.1%£251 short65.9%£388 short61.8%£599 short
RushmoorBlackwater Valley81.5%£182 short78.5%£274 short84.1%£244 short78.0%£479 short
RutlandLeicester79.5%£139 short77.0%£194 short77.6%£224 short69.0%£472 short
SalfordCentral Greater Manchester87.2%£114 short80.6%£211 short73.6%£341 short76.1%£424 short
Sandwell *Black Country72.8%£185 short73.4%£226 short73.9%£265 short65.8%£480 short
Sefton *Greater Liverpool80.3%£123 short73.0%£220 short65.3%£345 short61.9%£539 short
Sevenoaks *High Weald62.6%£478 short67.4%£521 short67.9%£625 short61.1%£1,160 short
SheffieldSheffield83.0%£118 short73.5%£224 short70.0%£292 short70.6%£395 short
ShropshireShropshire77.7%£136 short77.0%£178 short75.6%£234 short69.3%£431 short
SloughEast Thames Valley78.8%£242 short84.2%£226 short84.5%£266 short77.9%£538 short
Solihull *Solihull81.3%£161 short77.2%£244 short78.9%£268 short72.9%£510 short
Somerset *Taunton and West Somerset82.7%£120 short79.0%£193 short74.4%£292 short61.4%£628 short
South CambridgeshireCambridge89.1%£110 short74.2%£330 short73.5%£406 short67.5%£697 short
South DerbyshireEastern Staffordshire80.6%£119 short74.4%£206 short71.6%£288 short68.0%£463 short
South GloucestershireBristol89.5%£106 short85.3%£188 short83.0%£267 short82.5%£393 short
South Hams *South Devon68.4%£233 short73.2%£247 short73.6%£301 short67.4%£533 short
South HollandLincolnshire Fens83.9%£96 short84.1%£118 short81.0%£172 short72.3%£332 short
South Kesteven *Grantham and Newark72.6%£160 short75.9%£183 short71.4%£262 short66.2%£447 short
South NorfolkCentral Norfolk and Norwich84.5%£108 short77.8%£198 short71.9%£312 short72.8%£429 short
South Oxfordshire *Oxford85.5%£153 short86.1%£182 short81.1%£309 short74.3%£604 short
South RibbleCentral Lancs79.6%£115 short77.5%£167 short72.6%£245 short72.7%£348 short
South Staffordshire *Black Country73.9%£175 short72.3%£239 short73.1%£276 short59.9%£620 short
South TynesideTyneside93.7%£33 short84.9%£98 short83.3%£130 short89.5%£108 short
SouthamptonSouthampton79.3%£183 short78.3%£242 short78.9%£288 short76.5%£446 short
Southend-on-SeaSouthend76.9%£204 short77.8%£249 short80.2%£271 short71.8%£529 short
SouthwarkInner South East London67.9%£612 short64.9%£837 short70.2%£829 short71.5%£1,045 short
SpelthorneWalton75.9%£302 short75.3%£397 short77.4%£423 short78.0%£557 short
St AlbansSouth West Herts74.7%£322 short76.5%£385 short74.1%£523 short68.8%£907 short
St. HelensSt Helens71.3%£171 short70.8%£217 short68.9%£282 short61.2%£507 short
StaffordMid Staffs79.2%£131 short78.9%£167 short75.6%£239 short73.5%£359 short
Staffordshire MoorlandsStaffordshire North80.3%£104 short69.7%£209 short68.4%£275 short67.0%£394 short
StevenageStevenage and North Herts75.2%£256 short73.6%£350 short80.2%£308 short75.0%£534 short
StockportSouthern Greater Manchester76.6%£191 short72.0%£292 short70.7%£373 short79.8%£354 short
Stockton-on-TeesTeesside76.4%£127 short71.0%£194 short68.8%£249 short64.2%£418 short
Stoke-on-TrentStaffordshire North81.7%£95 short72.2%£185 short74.4%£205 short73.7%£285 short
Stratford-on-AvonWarwickshire South85.8%£116 short83.3%£171 short82.3%£224 short74.3%£466 short
StroudGloucester73.6%£197 short75.1%£241 short71.8%£334 short71.9%£468 short
SunderlandSunderland81.0%£100 short73.1%£175 short70.9%£226 short64.6%£383 short
Surrey HeathBlackwater Valley76.8%£241 short74.6%£340 short79.9%£326 short70.2%£722 short
SuttonOuter South London76.1%£298 short76.6%£367 short78.3%£416 short77.6%£563 short
SwaleMedway and Swale85.7%£113 short81.6%£192 short74.6%£320 short69.3%£576 short
SwindonSwindon81.8%£150 short79.0%£209 short77.4%£277 short77.9%£368 short
TamesideTameside and Glossop76.3%£163 short67.4%£290 short70.2%£318 short81.7%£258 short
TamworthMid Staffs73.7%£178 short75.1%£207 short73.1%£272 short68.9%£450 short
Tandridge *Outer South London81.5%£216 short81.3%£276 short81.3%£346 short68.5%£895 short
TeignbridgeSouth Devon76.9%£152 short77.3%£198 short77.0%£251 short70.4%£463 short
Telford and WrekinShropshire79.3%£124 short77.2%£176 short75.9%£230 short71.9%£381 short
TendringColchester82.1%£136 short81.2%£184 short81.8%£217 short78.5%£343 short
Test Valley *Basingstoke87.8%£108 short83.0%£194 short81.6%£259 short69.9%£603 short
Tewkesbury *Cheltenham82.8%£130 short80.8%£190 short79.5%£258 short81.7%£329 short
ThanetThanet74.4%£199 short74.3%£260 short72.8%£337 short68.0%£541 short
Three RiversSouth West Herts74.5%£325 short78.6%£340 short75.9%£476 short71.9%£781 short
ThurrockSouth West Essex81.9%£171 short77.7%£272 short80.9%£284 short67.9%£709 short
Tonbridge and Malling *High Weald77.0%£239 short80.0%£268 short80.7%£316 short73.1%£673 short
TorbaySouth Devon81.3%£116 short82.4%£144 short83.9%£161 short84.6%£200 short
TorridgeNorth Devon85.5%£82 short86.9%£97 short85.0%£137 short78.1%£279 short
Tower HamletsInner East London72.1%£558 short72.1%£677 short78.3%£600 short88.5%£390 short
Trafford *Southern Greater Manchester66.1%£321 short62.2%£455 short60.5%£588 short66.3%£713 short
Tunbridge WellsHigh Weald75.3%£262 short76.0%£339 short77.2%£391 short73.6%£654 short
Uttlesford *Harlow and Stortford88.4%£106 short88.7%£131 short82.8%£251 short66.7%£685 short
Vale of White HorseOxford90.2%£98 short90.4%£120 short87.1%£197 short77.5%£507 short
WakefieldWakefield86.4%£79 short81.5%£135 short83.0%£149 short72.3%£339 short
WalsallBlack Country75.3%£162 short77.9%£177 short78.1%£210 short69.3%£409 short
Waltham ForestOuter East London85.3%£207 short80.8%£332 short82.3%£360 short75.6%£629 short
WandsworthInner South West London73.1%£523 short68.9%£769 short76.7%£658 short75.8%£928 short
WarringtonNorth Cheshire70.3%£201 short70.3%£249 short68.0%£327 short68.4%£462 short
WarwickWarwickshire South79.1%£185 short76.7%£258 short78.3%£289 short70.6%£561 short
WatfordSouth West Herts74.9%£318 short78.0%£352 short82.0%£330 short75.3%£657 short
Waverley *Guildford89.2%£115 short89.8%£139 short89.9%£167 short83.2%£400 short
Wealden *Eastbourne80.2%£178 short78.5%£247 short75.6%£350 short67.0%£691 short
Welwyn HatfieldSouth East Herts78.7%£226 short76.5%£323 short83.3%£275 short72.9%£633 short
West Berkshire *Newbury79.1%£198 short72.6%£337 short78.3%£332 short72.2%£619 short
West Devon *Exeter103.6%-£22 short102.2%-£17 short98.9%£11 short95.4%£63 short
West Lancashire *Wigan68.0%£188 short68.4%£231 short70.4%£250 short62.9%£457 short
West LindseyLincoln91.3%£47 short88.8%£76 short81.6%£152 short80.4%£226 short
West NorthamptonshireNorthampton85.5%£109 short78.3%£208 short76.9%£271 short68.8%£526 short
West OxfordshireOxford93.7%£61 short92.4%£93 short86.5%£206 short83.4%£349 short
West Suffolk *Bury St Edmunds76.7%£191 short72.8%£290 short72.0%£371 short69.8%£563 short
WestminsterCentral London56.3%£1,117 short54.0%£1,526 short55.2%£1,752 short56.2%£2,387 short
Westmorland and Furness *Barrow-in-Furness78.4%£131 short64.4%£276 short67.1%£311 short60.9%£519 short
WiganWigan73.5%£144 short71.1%£203 short70.7%£247 short67.6%£372 short
Wiltshire *West Wiltshire78.8%£160 short73.9%£256 short73.1%£331 short68.4%£554 short
WinchesterWinchester80.8%£196 short79.2%£275 short78.1%£358 short75.2%£560 short
Windsor and MaidenheadEast Thames Valley72.3%£345 short76.5%£368 short75.6%£468 short70.4%£798 short
WirralWirral74.0%£149 short70.7%£218 short71.5%£259 short65.7%£430 short
WokingGuildford83.5%£188 short84.5%£225 short83.6%£290 short73.1%£729 short
WokinghamReading80.5%£206 short81.2%£253 short78.8%£350 short71.8%£651 short
WolverhamptonBlack Country73.3%£180 short74.0%£220 short74.0%£264 short63.9%£522 short
WorcesterWorcester South79.5%£147 short76.5%£215 short75.3%£270 short74.1%£401 short
WorthingWorthing85.3%£131 short80.2%£234 short82.4%£252 short75.7%£470 short
WychavonWorcester South84.2%£107 short79.6%£179 short76.2%£258 short72.7%£432 short
WyreFylde Coast75.5%£130 short75.2%£179 short72.7%£235 short59.4%£507 short
Wyre ForestWorcester North87.0%£77 short86.3%£103 short82.3%£161 short79.0%£264 short
YorkYork76.8%£204 short71.2%£313 short64.2%£461 short68.3%£556 short

How we worked it out, and its limits

  • Rents are the ONS average private rent for each council, by bedrooms, for September 2026. They cover every tenancy, including long-running ones, so a home advertised today usually costs more: for someone looking now, the real gap is likely bigger.
  • LHA is set for Broad Rental Market Areas, which don’t follow council boundaries. We match each council to the area where most of its private renters live, using 2021 Census small areas weighted by households renting privately, and use that area’s published monthly rate.
  • Sizes compare ONS one to four-or-more bedrooms with the LHA one to four-bedroom rates. Rooms in shared houses, which most single people under 35 are limited to, aren’t compared, and ONS “four or more” includes larger homes.
  • LHA is a ceiling, not an award. What a household actually gets depends on its income, savings, the benefit cap and deductions. Councils can top it up with a Housing Payment, which replaced Discretionary Housing Payments in April 2026.
  • The City of London and the Isles of Scilly are left out: ONS publishes no average rent for them.

Using these figures

  • You are welcome to quote, chart or republish anything on this page. Please credit “RenterCheck analysis of ONS and DWP data” and link to this page.
  • The CSV download has every council and size, with the rent, the LHA rate, the gap, the share covered and the LHA area.
  • For a particular area, or a comment, email hello@rentercheck.co.uk.

On Universal Credit or Housing Benefit and looking for a home? Find the LHA rate for a postcode, or see the average rent in your council.

Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026, published 21 October 2026; DWP, Universal Credit LHA rates April 2026 to March 2027; Valuation Office Agency, LHA rates April 2026 to March 2027; ONS PIPR methodology; ONS Census 2021 and Open Geography. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.