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London rents in August 2026: figures for journalists

Each month FTR London publishes the London Rent Index, which presents the Office for National Statistics’ Price Index of Private Rents for London and every borough. The figures below are ready to quote, each with its period and source.

ONS figures for August 2026, published . Next update after the ONS release on .

Key figures, August 2026

  • The average private rent in London was £2,332 a month in August 2026, +3.5% on a year earlier (ONS Price Index of Private Rents).

    ONS figure

  • A one-bedroom home in London rented for an average of £1,760 a month in August 2026, and a two-bedroom home for £2,232 (ONS).

    ONS figure

  • London's average rent of £2,332 compares with £1,459 for England as a whole in August 2026 (ONS).

    ONS figure

  • Bexley was London's cheapest borough to rent in August 2026, at an average of £1,537 a month; Kensington and Chelsea was the most expensive, at £3,690 (London Rent Index on FTR London, ranking of ONS borough figures).

    FTR London calculation from ONS data

  • Rents rose fastest in Islington (+6.2%) and Greenwich (+6.1%) in the year to August 2026 (ONS; ranking by FTR London).

    FTR London calculation from ONS data

  • Two London boroughs saw average rents fall in the year to August 2026: Westminster (−0.6%) and Kingston upon Thames (−1.2%) (ONS).

    ONS figure

  • London's average rent has risen from £1,735 in January 2021 to £2,332 in August 2026, up £597 a month or 34.4% (FTR London calculation from the ONS series).

    FTR London calculation from ONS data

  • Measured against what people living there earn, Kensington and Chelsea is London's least affordable borough: the average rent takes 86.2% of median gross full-time pay, against 40.6% in Bromley and 63.1% across London (rents: ONS, August 2026; pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2024, by place of residence; calculation by FTR London).

    FTR London calculation from ONS and ASHE data

What these figures are

The rents are the ONS average monthly private rent across all existing and new tenancies, not asking rents for homes advertised today, which run higher. Where a line says ‘FTR London calculation’, we have ranked, compared or combined published ONS figures; we have not added data of our own. The affordability figures divide the average rent by median gross full-time pay for people living in each borough, before tax, from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for 2024, which lags the rent data.

Every borough, bedroom count and property type is on the London Rent Index, and the methodology explains what the figures do and do not measure.

Charts

Free to use with the credit shown on each image. Each chart updates with the monthly ONS release; right-click or open the image to save it (1200 × 675 pixels, PNG).

Bar chart of London's average monthly private rent each year since 2015, rising to £2,332 in August 2026. Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents.
Average private rent in London each year since 2015 (ONS, to August 2026).
Bar chart: the cheapest London boroughs to rent are Bexley £1,537, Sutton £1,556, Havering £1,565, Hillingdon £1,570, Croydon £1,582; the most expensive are Kensington and Chelsea £3,690, Westminster £3,196, Islington £2,868, Hammersmith and Fulham £2,825, Camden £2,819, August 2026.
The five cheapest and five most expensive London boroughs to rent, August 2026 (ONS; ranking by FTR London).
Bar chart of annual rent change to August 2026: fastest Islington +6.2%, Greenwich +6.1%, Merton +5.4%, Southwark +5.4%, Enfield +5.1%; slowest Waltham Forest +1.5%, Haringey +1.4%, Camden +1%, Westminster −0.6%, Kingston upon Thames −1.2%.
The boroughs where rents rose fastest and slowest in the year to August 2026 (ONS; ranking by FTR London).

Data downloads

How to cite

London Rent Index, FTR London, using ONS Price Index of Private Rents data for August 2026. https://ftrlondon.co.uk/rent-index

Please name the ONS as the source of the figures. For a single borough, cite that borough’s page; each has its own citation line.

Media contact

For data queries, a borough or bedroom breakdown not shown here, or to check a figure before publication, email support@ftrlondon.co.uk.

About FTR London

FTR London is a London rental marketplace: landlords list rooms and homes directly, and renters contact them directly.