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Rent checker: is your rent fair?

The short answer: a rent is fair if it’s in line with similar homes advertised nearby now. The average private rent in England is £1,459 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +4.0% on a year earlier. Enter a postcode for your area’s average, free.

England · ONS figures published 16 September 2026

  1. 1Enter the postcode
  2. 2See the average rent by number of bedrooms
  3. 3Check one home’s rent against adverts nearby, for £3.99

Official figures for every council in England. No sign-up, and nothing is stored against you.

Two figures, two questions

The area average tells you what the area pays. To judge the rent for one home, quoted to you or proposed as an increase, compare it with similar homes advertised nearby now: there is no official rent register in England, and nobody approves a rent before it is asked for.

The area average
What private tenants across the council pay on average, including people who moved in years ago, from the Office for National Statistics. It is the fairest picture of a whole area, and it moves slowly.
Asking rents nearby
What landlords are advertising homes with the same number of bedrooms for now, starting with the nearest. It is what you are really competing with, and it is usually higher than the average.

The area average is free, above, and city by city on the monthly rent tracker. The comparison with advertised homes is the rent check, for the address you’re looking at.

How to judge a rent

Compare like with like
Bedrooms alone will mislead you. Floor area, condition, EPC rating and whether bills are included change the real cost more than an extra box room does.
Look at what is being let now
Rents move quickly. A figure from a year ago tells you about last year. Look at what comparable homes nearby are advertised at now.
Count the running costs
A band F property at 50 pounds a month less than a band C one is usually the more expensive tenancy. Our free EPC checker shows the rating for any address.
Add up everything before you move in
Holding deposit, tenancy deposit and first month together are usually the largest single payment of the tenancy. The limits are set in law.

If your landlord has proposed an increase

An increase to an existing tenancy in England has to follow a formal process, and it can be challenged. The test the First-tier Tribunal applies is the market rent — what the property would let for now, if it were newly advertised — so the comparison is the same one a renter makes before signing.

There is a deadline for referring an increase, and it falls before the new rent starts. Check the current rules in the government guidance for tenants as soon as you receive the notice, rather than after the date it takes effect.

A challenge stands or falls on evidence: comparable properties, let recently, near you, at a similar size and condition. An opinion that the rent feels high is not evidence.

Rent comparison

Comparing a rent against similar nearby properties is part of Complete RenterCheck. The free check does not include an estimate, because a number we cannot trace to real comparable evidence would be worse than no number at all.

The free check tells you about the property the rent is for: its energy rating, council tax band, flood risk and more.

Example from Complete RenterCheck

This is our example report for a made-up two-bedroom home in Anytown, quoted at £1,450 a month. The homes, streets and rents are invented. Your report shows real adverts near the home you’re checking.

Rent compared with similar homes

Worth checking: Worth asking the agent or landlord about before you commit.

Asking rents for similar 2-bedroom homes advertised nearby, compared with the rent you were quoted.

The rent is slightly above the local range for similar homes

The proposed rent is above the range we see for similar nearby properties. That is worth asking about; it does not mean the rent is unlawful.

Average local rent for similar homes
About £1,320 a month
The average asking rent of the 24 similar homes advertised nearby that we compared.
Typical range
£1,200–£1,400 a month
Most similar homes nearby are advertised within this range.
Fair rent for this home
About £1,325 a month
The average of the similar homes, to the nearest £25. A guide, not a valuation.
How long similar adverts have been up
About 15 days
The middle figure across the adverts we compared.
Rent you were quoted
£1,450 a month
About £50, or 4%, above the top of the range.
Confidence
Medium
The similar homes are spread over up to a mile and a half, so treat the range as a fair guide.

What does this mean?

Similar homes nearby are advertised for about £1,320 a month, most between £1,200 and £1,400.

Your £1,450 is above that range. A fair rent here is around £1,325.

You have good grounds to offer closer to £1,325. Show the agent the homes listed below.

The adverts behind this comparison

These are asking rents: what landlords advertised, not what tenants agreed to pay. Nearest first. 4 are marked let agreed: a tenant was found, though the rent they agreed may differ.

  • Orchard Way, Anytown, AN1 2EX

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · Under 0.1 miles · advertised from 27 August 2026

    Same postcode as this home, so it may be this home’s own advert.

    £1,450

    a month

  • Mill Lane, Anytown, AN1 2EY

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.1 miles · advertised from 14 August 2026

    £1,300

    a month

    Let agreed

  • Church Street, Anytown, AN1 2DL

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.2 miles · advertised from 20 August 2026

    Listed twice at this rent, which may be one home advertised on more than one site.

    £1,350

    a month

  • Victoria Road, Anytown, AN1 3BT

    Flat · 2 bedrooms · 0.2 miles · advertised from 30 July 2026

    £1,250

    a month

    Let agreed

  • Station Road, Anytown, AN1 3AR

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.3 miles · advertised from 12 May 2026

    Still advertised after 112 days.

    £1,400

    a month

Show 18 more adverts

  • Park Avenue, Anytown, AN1 4HP

    Semi-detached house · 2 bedrooms · 0.3 miles · advertised from 25 August 2026

    £1,325

    a month

  • Willow Close, Anytown, AN1 4JD

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.3 miles · advertised from 18 August 2026

    £1,295

    a month

    Let agreed

  • The Crescent, Anytown, AN1 4LG

    End-of-terrace house · 2 bedrooms · 0.4 miles · advertised from 29 August 2026

    £1,375

    a month

  • Elm Grove, Anytown, AN1 2GH

    Flat · 2 bedrooms · 0.4 miles · advertised from 5 August 2026

    £1,200

    a month

  • Queens Road, Anytown, AN2 1PQ

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.5 miles · advertised from 11 August 2026

    £1,325

    a month

  • Brook Street, Anytown, AN2 1RS

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.5 miles · advertised from 21 August 2026

    £1,280

    a month

  • Chapel Row, Anytown, AN2 1TU

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.5 miles · advertised from 19 July 2026

    £1,350

    a month

    Let agreed

  • Meadow View, Anytown, AN2 2AB

    Semi-detached house · 2 bedrooms · 0.6 miles · advertised from 26 August 2026

    £1,395

    a month

  • High Street, Anytown, AN1 1AA

    Flat · 2 bedrooms · 0.6 miles · advertised from 9 August 2026

    £1,225

    a month

  • Kings Court, Anytown, AN2 2CD

    Flat · 2 bedrooms · 0.6 miles · advertised from 16 August 2026

    £1,300

    a month

  • Albert Terrace, Anytown, AN2 2EF

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.7 miles · advertised from 23 August 2026

    £1,340

    a month

  • Ash Grove, Anytown, AN2 3GH

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.7 miles · advertised from 2 August 2026

    £1,275

    a month

  • Fairfield Road, Anytown, AN2 3JK

    Semi-detached house · 2 bedrooms · 0.7 miles · advertised from 28 August 2026

    £1,310

    a month

  • Rose Lane, Anytown, AN2 3LM

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.8 miles · advertised from 19 August 2026

    £1,360

    a month

  • Tower Street, Anytown, AN3 1NP

    Flat · 2 bedrooms · 0.8 miles · advertised from 12 August 2026

    £1,240

    a month

  • Cedar Drive, Anytown, AN3 1QR

    Semi-detached house · 2 bedrooms · 0.8 miles · advertised from 24 August 2026

    £1,390

    a month

  • Bridge Road, Anytown, AN3 1ST

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.8 miles · advertised from 7 August 2026

    £1,285

    a month

  • Garden Walk, Anytown, AN3 2UV

    Terraced house · 2 bedrooms · 0.9 miles · advertised from 17 August 2026

    £1,330

    a month

Why this home’s rent could differ from these

Adverts show what landlords asked for. A rent tribunal gives more weight to rents tenants actually agreed than to adverts, and a let agreed advert is the nearest thing here to one, although the final rent may have been different.

Adverts don’t reliably say whether a home is furnished, whether any bills are included, how big it is or what condition it’s in. Any of these can justify a higher rent, so ask the agent which apply to this home.

An advert still up after a few months may be priced above what tenants will pay. The property type is as the advert gives it, and adverts sometimes get it wrong.

See the whole example report

Want this for the home you’re looking at?

The rent check lists the similar homes advertised near it, each with its asking rent and distance, and shows where the rent you’ve been quoted sits among them.

Check the rent for your home — £3.99

What can be charged on top

In England the Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans most fees. Viewing fees, admin fees, referencing fees, inventory fees and renewal fees are all prohibited. Work out the legal deposit limits for your rent.

Check the property

We’ll find similar homes advertised nearby to compare with.

Free check. No account required.

Questions about rent

How do I know if my rent is fair?

Compare it with similar homes advertised near it now: the same number of bedrooms, a similar size, condition and energy rating, and whether bills are included. The area average is a starting point. The average private rent in England is £1,459 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +4.0% on a year earlier. The average includes tenants who moved in years ago, so a home advertised today usually asks more.

What is the average rent in England?

The average private rent in England is £1,459 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +4.0% on a year earlier. Across councils it ranges from £558 in Hartlepool to £3,690 in Kensington and Chelsea.

Is there an official rent register or rent cap in England?

No. There is no official register of private rents in England and no cap on the rent for a new tenancy: nobody approves a rent before it is asked for. What the law controls is how often and how a landlord can raise the rent once you live there.

Can I challenge a rent increase?

Yes. An increase on a periodic tenancy in England has to be made with a formal notice, at most once a year, and you can refer it to the First-tier Tribunal before the new rent starts. The tribunal decides the market rent: what the home would let for if it were advertised now.

Why are advertised rents higher than the average?

The official average covers every private tenancy, including people who moved in years ago and whose rent has risen more slowly. Advertised rents are what landlords ask for new lets today, so they are usually higher.