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May 1 2026 - Renters' Right Act Commencement Day

You have 0 days to:

Serve any final Section 21 notices

Stop accepting above-asking rent offers

Prepare for the rental bidding ban

Remove “No DSS” from adverts

Remove “No Children” from listings

Show one clear rent price

Stop using fixed-term agreements

Switch to periodic tenancy templates

Check which tenancies go periodic

Stop taking rent before signing

Take no more than one month’s rent

Move all evictions to Section 8

Train staff on new notice rules

Create Section 13 process flow

Add two months to rent reviews

File court claims for Section 21s

Update landlord move-in grounds

Update landlord selling grounds

Send the RRA Information Sheet

Create written terms where missing

Update How to Rent processes

Review tenant screening questions

Update pet request processes

Stop backdating rent increases

Discuss rent protection backbooks

Act now before it is too late...

Act now!
Goodlord Rental Index
Goodlord Rental IndexFebruary 2026
Monthly key figures for the private rented sector

Welcome to Goodlord's February 2026 Rental Index.

Jack Wilson headshot

Every month, Goodlord reveals key figures for the private rented sector based on tenancies processed through our platform, including average rents, void periods, and more.

The latest Rental Index from Goodlord found that that rents in England rose slightly in February, with prices up by 0.15% compared to January's figures. Year-on-year, rents are up by 2%, and void periods fell to 22 days.

Jack Wilson
Data Analyst, Goodlord

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1. Rents up 2% year-on-year

The average cost of a rental property in England during February 2026 was £1,203. This is a 2% increase on prices recorded at the same time last year, when rents were £1,179 per property, on average.

This is a far lower level of rental inflation when compared to figures recorded last February (2025), when rents were up 4% year-on-year, indicating a softening of the pace of price increases over recent months

February’s figures means rental inflation continues to sit below the latest Consumer Price Inflation figures, which were recorded at 3.2% in January, and below wage growth, which stands at 4.2% according to the latest figures.

At a regional level, year-on-year rental costs have dropped in some regions. Tenants in the East of England are seeing prices that are 4.5% lower than in February 2025. And those in the South West have also seen a 1% annual reduction in average rents.

Click on region names to toggle them on and off

Average monthly rent across UK regions since January 2020.

2. Monthly rents proved sticky in February

Month-on-month, February rents increased by only 0.15% compared to January. Rents climbed from £1,201 to a new average of £1,203, as rent prices stayed relatively stable across the country.

The biggest rise was, once again, seen in the North West. Prices here rose by nearly 4% - up from £1,057 to £1,096.

The biggest fall was recorded in the South West, where prices dropped by over 3.5% - down from £1,253 in January to £1,208 in February.

Click on region names to toggle them on and off

Average void periods in days across UK regions since January 2020.

3. Voids shortened across England

Despite softening price inflation, voids shortened during February after a particularly sharp increase during January. Across the month, voids decreased from 26 days to 22 days. This is a reduction of 15%.

Voids shortened in all regions monitored. The biggest shift was seen in the South West, where voids shortened from 28 to 18 days. The smallest reduction was recorded in Yorkshire and the Humber, where voids moved from 24 days to 22 days.

3. Tenant salaries see uplift

Average tenant salaries rose by 0.8% this month, increasing from £29,637 in July to £29,883 in August.

The age of tenants dipped slightly, taking the average down to 32. The last time the average age was this low was August 2021, reflecting the number of student renters signing tenancies in the summer months.

William Reeve, CEO of Goodlord, says:

 

“Another month of cooling rental inflation reinforces the picture that the market is returning to some form of equilibrium after a series of record-breaking years. This is good news for tenants, particularly if rental price increases continue to sit below wage growth figures. It’s also a positive sign that there isn’t a supply shortage, despite the wider regulatory turbulence that landlords are navigating. If these trends continue into spring, it could provide a relatively benign backdrop for the Renters Rights Act implementation on 1 May.”