Renting in England
Renting in Peterborough
The average private rent in Peterborough is £1,014 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +4.9% on a year earlier, and £452 less 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
- £1,014 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +4.9%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £452 less
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 162nd of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Peterborough
- Rents in Peterborough are rising more slowly than a year ago: 4.9% in the latest year, against 5.9% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £759 to £1,014, a rise of 33.6%: about the same as the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the 12th lowest average rent of the 45 councils in the East of England.
- Of the 6 councils nearest to it, 5 are cheaper to rent in. The cheapest, South Holland, averages £779 a month, £235 less.
- Housing benefit and Universal Credit pay at most £700 a month towards a two-bedroom home here (Local Housing Allowance, Peterborough): 78% of the average two-bedroom rent, £196 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 £185 a month to the average rent here (£711 for one bedroom, £896 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Peterborough
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Peterborough, against England as a whole.
| Home | Peterborough | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £711 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £896 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,082 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,558 | £2,170 |
| Home | Peterborough | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £806 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £1,020 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,065 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £1,408 | £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 Peterborough 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 Peterborough postcode.
Peterborough 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 Peterborough | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough | £1,014 | — | |
| Huntingdonshire | £1,065 | £51 more | |
| North Northamptonshire | £995 | £19 less | |
| Rutland | £966 | £48 less | |
| South Kesteven | £846 | £168 less | |
| Fenland | £844 | £170 less | |
| South Holland | £779 | £235 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Peterborough’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 | £711 | £21,330 a year | £820 | £1,531 |
| 2 bedrooms | £896 | £26,880 a year | £1,033 | £1,929 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,082 | £32,460 a year | £1,248 | £2,330 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,558 | £46,740 a year | £1,797 | £3,355 |
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 Peterborough postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Landlord licensing in Peterborough
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Peterborough 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.
Peterborough selective licensing 2023
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 10 March 2029
Covers listed streets in parts of Bretton, Central, East, Fletton, Stanground, Woodston, North, Orton Waterville, Park, Paston and Walton, drawn on a map.
Peterborough additional HMO licensing 2026
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · In force until 25 January 2031
Covers the whole of Peterborough.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Peterborough postcode or read Peterborough City Council’s licensing pages. Checked 18 October 2026.
The landlord database in Peterborough
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Peterborough is in the East of England, where landlords can register from 15 January 2027 and must have registered by 14 April 2027, under the draft rollout. The East of England dates.
Check a home in Peterborough
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 Peterborough
What is the average rent in Peterborough?
£1,014 a month across all private rented homes in Peterborough, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £711. 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 Peterborough?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Peterborough’s average of £1,014, that is £30,420 a year between the tenants, or £21,330 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 Peterborough 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 Peterborough’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.
Is Peterborough expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Peterborough, £1,014 a month, is £452 less than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 162nd 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 Peterborough?
The average rent in Peterborough was +4.9% 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 Peterborough landlord need a licence?
Possibly. Peterborough City 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 Peterborough?
Peterborough is in the East of England. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 January 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 April 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; Peterborough City Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.