Renting in England
Renting in Merton
The average private rent in Merton is £2,181 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +5.5% on a year earlier, and £715 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
- £2,181 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +5.5%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £715 more
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 13th of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Merton
- Rents in Merton are rising at much the same pace as a year ago: 5.5% in the latest year, against 5.7% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £1,615 to £2,181, a rise of 35%: about the same as the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the 13th highest average rent of the 32 councils in London.
- Of the 6 councils nearest to it, 2 are cheaper to rent in. The cheapest, Sutton, averages £1,569 a month, £612 less.
- A second bedroom adds about £387 a month to the average rent here (£1,645 for one bedroom, £2,032 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Merton
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Merton, against England as a whole.
| Home | Merton | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £1,645 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £2,032 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £2,418 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £3,281 | £2,170 |
| Home | Merton | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £1,938 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £2,474 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £2,981 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £2,935 | £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 Merton 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 Merton postcode.
Merton 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 Merton | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merton | £2,181 | — | |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £2,861 | £680 more | |
| Wandsworth | £2,640 | £459 more | |
| Lambeth | £2,538 | £357 more | |
| Richmond upon Thames | £2,349 | £168 more | |
| Kingston upon Thames | £1,821 | £360 less | |
| Sutton | £1,569 | £612 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Merton’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 | £1,645 | £49,350 a year | £1,898 | £3,543 |
| 2 bedrooms | £2,032 | £60,960 a year | £2,344 | £4,376 |
| 3 bedrooms | £2,418 | £72,540 a year | £2,790 | £5,208 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £3,281 | £98,430 a year | £3,785 | £7,066 |
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 Merton postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Landlord licensing in Merton
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Merton 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.
Merton selective licensing 2023
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 23 September 2028
Covers these wards: Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Longthornton, Pollards Hill.
Merton additional HMO licensing 2023
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · In force until 23 September 2028
Covers these wards: Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Lavender Fields, Longthornton, Pollards Hill.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Merton postcode or read Merton Council’s licensing pages. Checked 18 October 2026.
The landlord database in Merton
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Merton 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 Merton
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 Merton
What is the average rent in Merton?
£2,181 a month across all private rented homes in Merton, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £1,645. 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 Merton?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Merton’s average of £2,181, that is £65,430 a year between the tenants, or £49,350 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 Merton 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 Merton’s average rent that is about £2,516, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £503. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Merton expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Merton, £2,181 a month, is £715 more than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 13th 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 Merton?
The average rent in Merton was +5.5% 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 Merton landlord need a licence?
Possibly. Merton Council runs a selective licensing scheme covering parts of the area, and additional licensing for smaller shared homes. Whether a home is covered depends on its exact address, so check the postcode.
When does the landlord database start in Merton?
Merton 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; Merton Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.