Renting in England
The average private rent in Salford is £1,170 a month (Office for National Statistics, August 2026), +3.3% on a year earlier, and £289 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 Salford, against England as a whole.
| Home | Salford | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £888 | £1,195 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,084 | £1,335 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,287 | £1,489 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,770 | £2,161 |
| Home | Salford | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £1,020 | £1,444 |
| Terraced house | £1,170 | £1,435 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,315 | £1,449 |
| Detached house | £1,533 | £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 Salford 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 Salford postcode.
The areas renters most often look in, who they suit, and how far they are from the centre.
M50 · Suits young professionals
Modern flats by the water around MediaCityUK, home to the BBC and other media companies, with trams to Manchester city centre. Some build-to-rent flats include bills or a gym in the rent and some don’t, so compare like with like.
MediaCityUK tram stop: 3.1 km from Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre
M3 · Suits young professionals
New apartment blocks just across the river from Manchester city centre, a short walk from the shops, offices and stations of both cities.
M5, M6 · Suits students
Around the University of Salford, with shared houses, student blocks and a station at Salford Crescent. Buses along the A6 into Manchester.
Salford Crescent station: 1.4 km from Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre
M5 · Suits young professionals and renters looking for lower rents
Between the Quays and the city centre, with a mix of new flats and older terraces, and trams at Exchange Quay.
Exchange Quay tram stop: 2.5 km from Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre
M30 · Suits families and commuters
A town with its own centre and the tram terminus, west of the Quays. Parts of Eccles and Barton are in a selective licensing scheme, so check the address.
Eccles tram stop: 5.3 km from Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre
M28 · Suits families
Worsley’s village and canal, and Walkden’s shops and station, in the greener north-west of the city. Among the pricier parts of Salford to rent in.
Walkden station: 10.2 km from Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre
M7 · Suits families and renters looking for lower rents
North of the city centre, by the River Irwell and Kersal Moor. Parts of both are in a selective licensing scheme that started in January 2026, so check the address.
If you can live a little further out, the average rent changes quickly across a council boundary.
| Council | Average rent | Against Salford | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salford | £1,170 | — | |
| Manchester | £1,373 | £203 more | |
| Trafford | £1,369 | £199 more | |
| Bury | £969 | £201 less | |
| Bolton | £894 | £276 less | |
| Wigan | £746 | £424 less |
Salford sits right next to Manchester city centre, so much of it is walking distance from central Manchester. Metrolink trams run to Salford Quays, MediaCityUK and Eccles, and trains from Salford Central and Salford Crescent head north-west. Buses run along the A6 through the university to the city centre and out to Swinton and Walkden.
Within 5 km of Salford Central, next to Manchester city centre, in a straight line, there are 39 other tram stops and 9 railway stations.
At Salford’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 | £888 | £26,640 a year | £1,024 | £1,912 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,084 | £32,520 a year | £1,250 | £2,334 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,287 | £38,610 a year | £1,485 | £2,772 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £1,770 | £53,100 a year | £2,042 | £3,812 |
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 Salford postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
Shared houses near the University of Salford for the next academic year are advertised from the autumn term, though Salford’s student market is much smaller than Manchester’s next door. There is no need to rush. 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.
Flats at the Quays and on Chapel Street are often let 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, Salford 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.
Salford additional licensing: converted blocks of flats (section 257) 2026
Additional licensing: smaller shared homes · Starts 24 November 2026
Covers the whole of Salford.
Salford selective licensing: Eccles, Barton and Winton
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 1 September 2027
Covers listed streets in Eccles and Barton and Winton, including both sides of boundary streets.
Salford selective licensing: Broughton, Kersal and Broughton Park
Selective licensing: homes let to one household · In force until 20 January 2031
Covers listed streets in Broughton and Kersal and Broughton Park.
Whether a home needs a licence depends on its exact address. Check a Salford postcode or read Salford City Council’s licensing pages. Checked 12 October 2026.
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Salford is in the North West, where landlords can register from 15 May 2027 and must have registered by 14 August 2027, under the draft rollout. The North West 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.
£1,170 a month across all private rented homes in Salford, according to the Office for National Statistics for August 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £888. 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 Salford’s average of £1,170, that is £35,100 a year between the tenants, or £26,640 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 Salford’s average rent that is about £1,350, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £270. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
The average rent in Salford, £1,170 a month, is £289 less than the England average of £1,459. That makes it the 130th 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.
No. Salford is a separate city with its own council, next to Manchester city centre across the River Irwell. That matters when renting: the council tax, licensing schemes and average rents are Salford’s, not Manchester’s.
Salford Quays and MediaCityUK for flats by the water on the tram, and Chapel Street and Greengate for walking into Manchester city centre.
The average rent in Salford was +3.3% 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. Salford City Council runs 2 selective licensing schemes 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.
Salford is in the North West. Under the draft rollout, landlords there can register from 15 May 2027 and must have registered every home they let by 14 August 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; Salford City Council; NaPTAN, Department for Transport. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.