Average private rents in Great Britain fall for first time since 2019

Many tenants have had to grapple with sizeable increases to their rents during the cost of living crisis. Photograph: David Burton/Alamy

Average private rents in Great Britain have fallen for the first time since before the pandemic, with an improvement in the supply of properties helping to cool a “ferociously hot” rental market.

After several years of seemingly relentless rises, with fresh records being hit every three months, the typical advertised rent outside London slipped back in the final three months of 2024 to £1,341 a month – the first decline since 2019.