Renting in England
Renting in Test Valley
The average private rent in Test Valley is £1,236 a month (Office for National Statistics, September 2026), +4.6% on a year earlier, and £230 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
- £1,236 a month
- ONS, September 2026
- In the last year
- +4.6%
- England +4.0%
- Against England
- £230 less
- England average £1,466
- Most expensive councils
- 117th of 294
- by average rent
What stands out in Test Valley
- Rents in Test Valley are rising more slowly than a year ago: 4.6% in the latest year, against 7.3% the year before.
- Since September 2021 the average rent here has gone from £977 to £1,236, a rise of 26.6%: less than the 34.8% rise across England.
- It has the 14th lowest average rent of the 64 councils in the South East.
- Of the 6 councils nearest to it, 2 are cheaper to rent in. The cheapest, Fareham, averages £1,179 a month, £57 less.
- A second bedroom adds about £256 a month to the average rent here (£888 for one bedroom, £1,144 for two), against £142 across England.
Average rent in Test Valley
Monthly averages for private rented homes across Test Valley, against England as a whole.
| Home | Test Valley | England |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £888 | £1,199 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,144 | £1,341 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,409 | £1,497 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £2,003 | £2,170 |
| Home | Test Valley | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £985 | £1,449 |
| Terraced house | £1,258 | £1,443 |
| Semi-detached house | £1,370 | £1,458 |
| Detached house | £1,740 | £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 Test Valley 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 Test Valley postcode.
Test Valley 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 Test Valley | In a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test Valley | £1,236 | — | |
| Winchester | £1,514 | £278 more | |
| Basingstoke and Deane | £1,312 | £76 more | |
| Southampton | £1,261 | £25 more | |
| New Forest | £1,249 | £13 more | |
| Eastleigh | £1,219 | £17 less | |
| Fareham | £1,179 | £57 less |
What you need to earn, and to have saved
At Test Valley’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 | £1,144 | £34,320 a year | £1,320 | £2,464 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,409 | £42,270 a year | £1,625 | £3,034 |
| 4 or more bedrooms | £2,003 | £60,090 a year | £2,311 | £4,314 |
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 Test Valley postcode, which caps the help you can get with the rent.
The landlord database in Test Valley
England’s new database of private landlords is opening region by region. Test Valley 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 Test Valley
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 Test Valley
What is the average rent in Test Valley?
£1,236 a month across all private rented homes in Test Valley, according to the Office for National Statistics for September 2026. A one-bedroom home averages £888. 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 Test Valley?
Most letting agents want a yearly income before tax of about 30 times the monthly rent. At Test Valley’s average of £1,236, that is £37,080 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.
How much deposit can a Test Valley 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 Test Valley’s average rent that is about £1,426, and a holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent, about £285. The deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
Is Test Valley expensive to rent in?
The average rent in Test Valley, £1,236 a month, is £230 less than the England average of £1,466. That makes it the 117th 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 Test Valley?
The average rent in Test Valley was +4.6% 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.
When does the landlord database start in Test Valley?
Test Valley 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. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.