Renting in England
The average private rent in Nottingham is £1,014 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +1.8% on a year earlier, and £445 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
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Nottingham, against England as a whole.
| Home | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £735 | £1,195 |
| 2 bedrooms | £914 | £1,335 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,052 | £1,489 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,460 | £2,161 |
| Home | Nottingham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £837 | £1,444 |
| Terraced house | £993 | £1,435 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,060 | £1,449 |
| Detached house | £1,306 | £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 Nottingham 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 Nottingham postcode.
The areas renters most often look in, who they suit, and how far they are from the centre.
NG1 · Suits young professionals and students
Flats in converted lace warehouses, new student and build-to-rent blocks, and the bars of Hockley, all walking distance from Nottingham Trent University and the station.
Lace Market tram stop: 0.7 km from Nottingham station
NG7 · Suits students
Rows of terraced houses let as shared homes between the city and the University of Nottingham, with trams and buses to campus. The main student area for the university.
University of Nottingham tram stop: 3 km from Nottingham station
NG1, NG7 · Suits students and renters looking for lower rents
Victorian terraces north of the centre, close to Nottingham Trent University’s city campus and the Forest recreation ground, with the tram into town.
The Forest tram stop: 2.4 km from Nottingham station
NG5 · Suits young professionals and families
A high street of independent shops and cafés, terraced and semi-detached houses, and frequent buses into town. A popular step up from the student areas.
NG3 · Suits families
Suburban streets on the hill north-east of the city, with larger houses and a busy local high street.
NG2 · Suits families and professionals · In Rushcliffe
Across the Trent from the city, with well-regarded schools, a busy high street and the cricket ground. It is in Rushcliffe, not Nottingham, so the council tax, licensing and average rents are Rushcliffe’s: see the table of councils above.
NG9 · Suits students, postgraduates and families · In Broxtowe
A town next to the University of Nottingham, with its own high street, a station and the tram. It is in Broxtowe, not Nottingham, so the council tax, licensing and average rents are Broxtowe’s: see the table of councils above.
Beeston Centre tram stop: 5.2 km from Nottingham station
If you can live a little further out, the average rent changes quickly across a council boundary.
| Council | Average rent | Against Nottingham | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham | £1,014 | — | |
| Rushcliffe | £1,047 | £33 more | |
| Broxtowe | £942 | £72 less | |
| Gedling | £904 | £110 less | |
| Erewash | £834 | £180 less |
The NET tram runs from the station through the city centre, north to Hucknall and past Nottingham Trent University, and south-west to the University of Nottingham, the Queen’s Medical Centre, Beeston and Toton. Frequent buses cover the rest of the city. Nottingham is compact, and many people walk or cycle to work.
Within 5 km of Nottingham station in the city centre, in a straight line, there are 30 other tram stops and 2 railway stations.
At Nottingham’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 | £735 | £22,050 a year | £848 | £1,583 |
| 2 bedrooms | £914 | £27,420 a year | £1,054 | £1,968 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,052 | £31,560 a year | £1,213 | £2,265 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,460 | £43,800 a year | £1,684 | £3,144 |
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 Nottingham postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Shared houses in Lenton and around the Arboretum for the next academic year are advertised from the autumn term. There is no need to rush: houses keep coming up after Christmas. Nottingham licenses almost every rented home, so ask to see the landlord’s licence. 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.
Good homes in the city centre, Sherwood and West Bridgford 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.
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Nottingham 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.
Nottingham selective licensing 2023
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 30 November 2028
Covers most of the city, drawn on a map. It leaves out Bestwood, Bilborough, Clifton East, Clifton West and Wollaton West, and parts of several other wards.
Nottingham additional HMO licensing 2024
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · In force until 31 December 2028
Covers the whole of Nottingham.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Nottingham postcode or read Nottingham City Council’s licensing pages. Checked 12 October 2026.
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Nottingham 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.
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.
£1,014 a month across all private rented homes in Nottingham, according to the Office for National Statistics for August 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £735. That average includes tenants who moved in years ago, so homes advertised today usually ask more.
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Nottingham’s average of £1,014, that is £30,420 a year between the tenants, or £22,050 for an average one-bedroom home. It is a convention, not a law, so an agent can set its own figure.
No more than five weeks’ rent while the rent is under £50,000 a year, under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. On Nottingham’s average rent that is about £1,170, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £234. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
The average rent in Nottingham, £1,014 a month, is £445 less than the England average of £1,459. That makes it the 161st 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.
Almost certainly. Nottingham’s selective licensing scheme covers most of the city until November 2028, and additional licensing covers every smaller shared house. A few areas, such as Wollaton West and Clifton, are left out of selective licensing, so check the postcode.
University of Nottingham students mostly rent in Lenton and Dunkirk, and later in Beeston. Nottingham Trent students often live in the city centre and around the Arboretum and Forest Fields.
The average rent in Nottingham was +1.8% 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.
Possibly. Nottingham City Council runs a selective licensing scheme covering parts of the city, and additional licensing for smaller shared homes. Whether a home is covered depends on its exact address, so check the postcode.
Nottingham 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.
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026, published 16 September 2026; Tenant Fees Act 2019; Nottingham City Council; NaPTAN, Department for Transport. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.