Renting in England
Renting in Portsmouth
The average private rent in Portsmouth is £1,374 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +2.9% on a year earlier, and £92 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
- £1,374 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +2.9%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £92 less
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 87th of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Portsmouth
- Rents in Portsmouth are rising more slowly than a year ago: 2.9% in the latest year, against 3.3% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £995 to £1,374, a rise of 38.1%: more than the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the 32nd highest average rent of the 64 councils in the South East.
- It is dearer to rent in than any of the 6 councils nearest to it.
- Housing benefit and Universal Credit pay at most £845 a month towards a two-bedroom home here (Local Housing Allowance, Portsmouth): 74% of the average two-bedroom rent, £294 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 £236 a month to the average rent here (£903 for one bedroom, £1,139 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Portsmouth
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Portsmouth, against England as a whole.
| Home | Portsmouth | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £903 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,139 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,366 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,968 | £2,170 |
| Home | Portsmouth | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £1,047 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £1,411 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,569 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £1,843 | £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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth postcode.
Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | £1,374 | — | |
| Southampton | £1,261 | £113 less | |
| Eastleigh | £1,219 | £155 less | |
| Fareham | £1,179 | £195 less | |
| Gosport | £1,173 | £201 less | |
| Havant | £1,159 | £215 less | |
| Isle of Wight | £953 | £421 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Portsmouth’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 | £903 | £27,090 a year | £1,041 | £1,944 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,139 | £34,170 a year | £1,314 | £2,453 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,366 | £40,980 a year | £1,576 | £2,942 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,968 | £59,040 a year | £2,270 | £4,238 |
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 Portsmouth postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Landlord licensing in Portsmouth
On top of the national licence for larger shared homes, Portsmouth 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.
Portsmouth additional HMO licensing 2023
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · In force until 31 August 2028
Covers the whole of Portsmouth.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Portsmouth postcode or read Portsmouth City Council’s licensing pages. Checked 18 October 2026.
The landlord database in Portsmouth
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Portsmouth is in the South East, where landlords can register from 15 March 2027 and must have registered by 14 June 2027, under the draft rollout. The South East dates.
Check a home in Portsmouth
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 Portsmouth
What is the average rent in Portsmouth?
£1,374 a month across all private rented homes in Portsmouth, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £903. 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 Portsmouth?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Portsmouth’s average of £1,374, that is £41,220 a year between the tenants, or £27,090 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth’s average rent that is about £1,585, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £317. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Portsmouth expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Portsmouth, £1,374 a month, is £92 less than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 87th 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 Portsmouth?
The average rent in Portsmouth was +2.9% 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 Portsmouth landlord need a licence?
Portsmouth City Council 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 Portsmouth?
Portsmouth is in the South East. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 March 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 June 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; Portsmouth City Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.