Renting in England
Renting in Kensington and Chelsea
The average private rent in Kensington and Chelsea is £3,739 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +3.0% on a year earlier, and £2,273 more than the England average of £1,466. Below: rents by bedrooms, what you need to earn and have saved to move in, and the local rules worth knowing before you sign.
England · Figures for September 2026, published 21 October 2026
- Average rent
- £3,739 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +3.0%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £2,273 more
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 1st of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Kensington and Chelsea
- Rents in Kensington and Chelsea are rising more slowly than a year ago: 3.1% in the latest year, against 5.1% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £2,600 to £3,739, a rise of 43.8%: more than the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the highest average rent of the 32 councils in London.
- It is dearer to rent in than any of the 6 councils nearest to it.
- Housing benefit and Universal Credit pay at most £1,794 a month towards a two-bedroom home here (Local Housing Allowance, Central London): 52% of the average two-bedroom rent, £1,681 a month short. The allowance is set below the average on purpose, at the level three in ten local rents fell below in 2023, and has been frozen since April 2024.
- A second bedroom adds about £801 a month to the average rent here (£2,674 for one bedroom, £3,475 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Kensington and Chelsea
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Kensington and Chelsea, against England as a whole.
| Home | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £2,674 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £3,475 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £4,130 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £5,728 | £2,170 |
| Home | Kensington and Chelsea | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £3,109 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £4,564 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £4,830 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £2,947 | £1,649 |
These averages include tenants who moved in years ago, whose rent hasn’t kept up with the market, so a home advertised in Kensington and Chelsea today will usually ask more. To judge a rent you’ve been quoted, compare it with similar homes advertised near the address. How to check a rent or look up the average rent for a Kensington and Chelsea postcode.
Kensington and Chelsea and the councils around it
If you can live a little further out, the average rent changes quickly across a council boundary.
| Council | Average rent | Against Kensington and Chelsea | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington and Chelsea | £3,739 | — | |
| Westminster | £3,209 | £530 less | |
| Islington | £2,884 | £855 less | |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £2,861 | £878 less | |
| Camden | £2,834 | £905 less | |
| Wandsworth | £2,640 | £1,099 less | |
| Lambeth | £2,538 | £1,201 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Kensington and Chelsea’s average rents. Most letting agents look for a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. Upfront, the law caps the holding deposit at a week’s rent and the tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent; most landlords also ask for the first month in advance.
| Home | Average rent | Income agents look for | Most deposit allowed | First month and deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £2,674 | £80,220 a year | £3,085 | £5,759 |
| 2 bedrooms | £3,475 | £104,250 a year | £4,009 | £7,484 |
| 3 bedrooms | £4,130 | £123,900 a year | £4,765 | £8,895 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £5,728 | £171,840 a year | £7,931 | £13,659 |
Anything else, such as fees for viewings, referencing or admin, is banned. Work out the limits for your own rent or see how much rent you can afford. On Universal Credit or Housing Benefit? Find the Local Housing Allowance rate for a Kensington and Chelsea postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Landlord licensing in Kensington and Chelsea
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea requires landlords to license some other rented homes. If a home should be licensed and isn’t, the tenant can claim back up to two years’ rent through a rent repayment order, for an offence from 1 May 2026.
Kensington and Chelsea additional HMO licensing (No.1) 2023
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · In force until 31 May 2028
Covers the whole of Kensington and Chelsea.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Kensington and Chelsea postcode or read Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s licensing pages. Checked 18 October 2026.
The landlord database in Kensington and Chelsea
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Kensington and Chelsea is in the London, where landlords can register from 15 July 2027 and must have registered by 14 October 2027, under the draft rollout. The London dates.
Check a home in Kensington and Chelsea
Found a place? The free check covers its energy rating, flood risk, crime nearby and past sales, in about a minute. Add the rent to see the most you can be asked for upfront.
Questions about renting in Kensington and Chelsea
What is the average rent in Kensington and Chelsea?
£3,739 a month across all private rented homes in Kensington and Chelsea, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £2,674. That average includes tenants who moved in years ago, so homes advertised today usually ask more.
How much do I need to earn to rent in Kensington and Chelsea?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Kensington and Chelsea’s average of £3,739, that is £112,170 a year between the tenants, or £80,220 for an average one-bedroom home. It is a convention, not a law, so an agent can set its own figure.
How much deposit can a Kensington and Chelsea landlord ask for?
No more than five weeks’ rent while the rent is under £50,000 a year, under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. On Kensington and Chelsea’s average rent that is about £4,314, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £862. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Kensington and Chelsea expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Kensington and Chelsea, £3,739 a month, is £2,273 more than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 1st most expensive of 294 councils. The most popular areas cost more than the council-wide figure, so compare a quoted rent with homes advertised nearby.
Are rents going up in Kensington and Chelsea?
The average rent in Kensington and Chelsea was +3.0% on a year earlier in September 2026, against +4.0% across England. A landlord can raise the rent on a periodic tenancy only once a year, using a section 13 notice.
Does my Kensington and Chelsea landlord need a licence?
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea runs additional licensing for smaller shared homes across the council area. Larger shared homes need a national HMO licence anywhere in England.
When does the landlord database start in Kensington and Chelsea?
Kensington and Chelsea is in the London. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 July 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 October 2027. The dates are in draft regulations and could change.
Renting in other cities
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, September 2026, published 21 October 2026; Tenant Fees Act 2019; Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.