City centre and the Cultural Quarter
LE1 · Suits young professionals and students
Flats in converted factories and new blocks around the Cultural Quarter and the centre, close to the station and De Montfort University.
Renting in England
Renting in Leicester
The average private rent in Leicester is £1,023 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +1.6% on a year earlier, and £436 less than the England average of £1,459. 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 August 2026, published 16 September 2026
- Average rent
- £1,023 a month
- ONS, August 2026
- In the last year
- +1.6%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £436 less
- England average £1,459
- Most expensive councils
- 157th of 294
- by average rent
Average rent in Leicester
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Leicester, against England as a whole.
| Home | Leicester | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £716 | £1,195 |
| 2 bedrooms | £892 | £1,335 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,045 | £1,489 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,453 | £2,161 |
| Home | Leicester | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £799 | £1,444 |
| Terraced house | £1,008 | £1,435 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,073 | £1,449 |
| Detached house | £1,355 | £1,640 |
These averages include tenants who moved in years ago, whose rent hasn’t kept up with the market, so a home advertised in Leicester 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 Leicester postcode.
Where to rent in Leicester
The areas renters most often look in, who they suit, and how far they are from the centre.
Clarendon Park
LE2 · Suits students and young professionals
Victorian terraces around Queens Road, with independent shops and cafés, close to the University of Leicester and Victoria Park. Popular with students in later years and with people who work nearby.
West End and Westcotes
LE3 · Suits students and renters looking for lower rents
Terraced streets west of the river, close to De Montfort University and the city centre. Parts of Westcotes are in a selective licensing scheme, so check the address.
Stoneygate and Knighton
LE2 · Suits professionals and families
Large Victorian and Edwardian houses on leafy streets south-east of the centre, with some of the city’s higher rents. Parts of Stoneygate are in a selective licensing scheme.
Belgrave
LE4 · Suits families and renters looking for lower rents
North of the centre, home to the Golden Mile of shops and restaurants along Belgrave Road and one of the country’s biggest Diwali celebrations.
Oadby
LE2 · Suits families and postgraduates · In Oadby and Wigston
A suburb south-east of the city with its own high street and some University of Leicester accommodation. It is in Oadby and Wigston, not Leicester, so the council tax, licensing and average rents are Oadby and Wigston’s: see the table of councils above.
Leicester 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 Leicester | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | £1,023 | — | |
| Oadby and Wigston | £1,024 | £1 more | |
| Blaby | £998 | £25 less | |
| Harborough | £973 | £50 less | |
| Charnwood | £960 | £63 less |
Getting around Leicester
Leicester has no tram and only a few local train stations, so most people get around by bus, on foot or by bike. The city centre, De Montfort University and the University of Leicester are all close together, and many students walk.
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Leicester’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 | £716 | £21,480 a year | £826 | £1,542 |
| 2 bedrooms | £892 | £26,760 a year | £1,029 | £1,921 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,045 | £31,350 a year | £1,205 | £2,250 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,453 | £43,590 a year | £1,676 | £3,129 |
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 Leicester postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
When to look
If you’re a student
Shared houses in Clarendon Park and the West End for the next academic year are advertised from the autumn term. There is no need to rush: houses keep coming up after Christmas. Since 1 May 2026, new tenancies in England have no fixed term, so check how and when your group can give notice before you sign.
If you’re working
Good homes near the centre and in the south of the city often go within days. Have your ID for the right-to-rent check, proof of income and a reference ready before you view. Landlords can no longer invite or accept offers above the advertised rent, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent.
Landlord licensing in Leicester
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Leicester City Council 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.
Leicester selective licensing 2022
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 9 October 2027
Covers listed roads in parts of Stoneygate, Westcotes, Fosse, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields, and Saffron.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Leicester postcode or read Leicester City Council’s licensing pages. Checked 12 October 2026.
The landlord database in Leicester
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Leicester is in the East Midlands, where landlords can register from 15 February 2027 and must have registered by 14 May 2027, under the draft rollout. The East Midlands dates.
Check a home in Leicester
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 Leicester
What is the average rent in Leicester?
£1,023 a month across all private rented homes in Leicester, according to the Office for National Statistics for August 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £716. 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 Leicester?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Leicester’s average of £1,023, that is £30,690 a year between the tenants, or £21,480 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 Leicester 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 Leicester’s average rent that is about £1,180, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £236. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Leicester expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Leicester, £1,023 a month, is £436 less than the England average of £1,459. That makes it the 157th most expensive of 294 councils. The most popular areas cost more than the city-wide figure, so compare a quoted rent with homes advertised nearby.
Where do students rent in Leicester?
University of Leicester students often rent in Clarendon Park, close to campus. De Montfort University students tend to live in the city centre and the West End, across the river from the university.
Are rents going up in Leicester?
The average rent in Leicester was +1.6% on a year earlier in August 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 Leicester landlord need a licence?
Possibly. Leicester City Council runs a selective licensing scheme covering parts of the city. Whether a home is covered depends on its exact address, so check the postcode.
When does the landlord database start in Leicester?
Leicester is in the East Midlands. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 February 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 May 2027. The dates are in draft regulations and could change.
Renting in other cities
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026, published 16 September 2026; Tenant Fees Act 2019; Leicester City Council; NaPTAN, Department for Transport. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.