Average rent in Great Britain up by more than a quarter since start of Covid

Savills predicted a 9.5% increase in the average private rent in 2023. Photograph: William Barton/Alamy

Average private rents in Great Britain have soared by more than a quarter since the start of the Covid pandemic and will keep rising, according to an analysis.

The typical private rent will end this year 9.5% higher than in December 2022 and then rise a further 6% in 2024 before hitting an “affordability ceiling”, according to the estate and lettings agent Savills.