Renters moving home face the steepest rent rises in almost two years, with the average topping £1,433 a month

Rental growth on new lets has now accelerated for 10 consecutive months, according to estate agent Hamptons. Average rents across Britain climbed 2.7 per cent over the year, up from £1,396 last September. London tenants pay the most, at an average of £2,357 a month. Annual growth in the South East and South West both broke through 4 per cent, a threshold neither region had crossed since September 2024.

Existing tenants who received an increase saw rents climb by 5.6 per cent on average.

Hamptons' Aneisha Beveridge warns the squeeze is 'likely to feed through' to existing tenants.

The East Midlands recorded the weakest growth, with rents edging up by just 0.3 per cent.