Rents rose for the fourth month in a row during April, according to the latest Goodlord rental Index.
Average rent per property inched up across the month as the market continues to grow. And voids held steady at 21 days, the same length of void period recorded in March, as demand remains consistent ahead of the peak summer months.
Goodlord processestens of thousands of tenancy applications each month on behalf of over 3,500 lettings brands across the UK. The Rental Index is based on contracted tenancy prices, rather than advertised prices.
In April 2025, the average rent per property in England was £1,216. This is 4.2% higher than April 2024’s figure of £1,166. This equates to a year-on-year increase of £50 per month (or £600 per year) for tenants. However, April’s year-on-year rise of 4.2% is slightly lower than March’s figure of 4.6%.
At a regional level, the North West, South East and West Midlands all recorded year-on-year rent rises of over 5%. At the other end of the scale, the East Midlands recorded an annual rise of less than 1%.
In better news for tenants, year-on-year salary increases continue to outstrip the rising cost of rent. The average salary of a renter signing a new tenancy agreement in April 2025 was £38,629 – 4.94% higher than April 2024’s average of £36,810.
From a month-on-month perspective, rents rose for the fourth month in a row during April. Average rent per property rose by a modest 0.2% – increasing from £1,213 in March to £1,216 in April.
Properties in the East Midlands, North East, North West and the South West all saw a small uptick in average costs. The largest shift was in the North East, where prices jumped by over 2%.
However, Greater London, the South East, and the West Midlands all saw marginal reductions in the average cost of rent. London saw the biggest decrease, with prices down 1% in the capital during April.
Voids – the length of time a property remains vacant between lettings – remain unchanged during April at 21 days, indicating consistent demand across the market.
However, the current void length of 21 days is slightly higher year-on-year. In April 2024, voids sat at 19 days.
Greater London is recording the shortest voids currently, with properties changing hands in just 16 days on average. The longest voids are seen in the East Midlands, at the significantly higher figure of 28 days.
William Reeve, chief executive of Goodlord, stated “it’s been another month of steadily increasing rents, at a time of the year when we often see more ups and downs in terms of rental averages. This continues to underscore the prediction that this summer will bring a rental spike across the country, although rising salaries will be offsetting this impact for tenants to some degree. And whilst the regional picture is nuanced when it comes to voids, the national averages highlight steady demand from tenants for new properties as we hurtle towards the busiest months on the lettings calendar.”
Landlord group warns of threat to student housing
Ill thought-out' possession grounds in Renters’ Rights Bill will reduce the supply of student accommodation and push up rents.
Government plans to restrict a key student housing exemption to larger Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) risks undermining supply and disrupting the annual student rental cycle, warns Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA).
His warning follows comments made by the House of Lords Housing Minister, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, during Committee Stage of the RRB last week. She argued that limiting the exemption under Ground 4A to HMOs with three or more bedrooms “captures the bulk of typical students”.
However, data from the accommodation search engine accommodationforstudents.com suggests that one and two-bedroom properties account for around one-third (32%) of all ‘off-street’ student housing.
Ground 4A, as currently drafted, allows landlords to regain possession of properties let to students in line with the academic calendar – but only where the property is an HMO with three or more bedrooms.
An amendment proposed by Lord Willetts, President of the Resolution Foundation, that was backed by a cross-party group of Peers, sought to extend this ground to include one and two-bedroom student properties.
The NRLA says that, with the Renters’ Rights Bill abolishing fixed-term tenancies, Ground 4A is crucial to providing landlords with the certainty that they will be able to regain possession of their property at the end of the academic year so they can let to new students.
Without extending this to one or two-bedroom properties, it could prove unviable for many landlords to stay in the student housing market.
Beadle says “we welcome the Government’s recognition that supporting the student rental cycle is important, and we agree with the Minister’s comment that increasing supply is essential to stabilising rents. However, the decision to exclude one and two-bedroom student homes from Ground 4A will do the exact opposite. These properties make up a significant part of the student housing market and are often preferred by final-year and postgraduate students looking for quieter places to live and study.
The Government’s justification for excluding these homes is misplaced. We recognise the need to ensure security for part-time students, student parents and other vulnerable tenants, but excluding smaller student homes from Ground 4A does nothing to support them. If landlords are not confident they can regain possession in time for the next academic year, many will stop letting to students altogether. The result will be fewer homes, higher competition, increased rents, and less choice for students.
We urge the Government to reconsider this at Report Stage and ensure all student homes – not just larger HMOs – are covered by Ground 4A.”