With the Renters’ Rights Act now in force, the private rented sector is moving from speculation to reality.
The Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its core private tenancy reforms have applied since 1 May 2026. That means the debate has now shifted. The question is no longer simply what landlords might do ahead of reform, but whether the market shows evidence that rents were increased in anticipation of the new rules.
One of the biggest concerns before implementation was whether landlords would rush to increase rents before 1 May, particularly as the Act now restricts rent increases to once per year through the statutory process.
However, analysis from Inventory Base suggests that fears of widespread “frontloaded” rent increases may have been overstated.
What the data tells us
To understand whether landlords increased rents ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, Inventory Base analysed private rental price data from the Office for National Statistics, comparing rental growth during the first quarter of 2026 with the same period in 2025.
At a national level, the results point to a relatively steady market.
Between January and March 2026, the average rent in England increased by 0.77%, reaching £1,434 per month. During the same period in 2025, rents increased by 0.80%.
In other words, rental growth remained broadly consistent year on year, with no clear sign of a nationwide surge in rent increases ahead of the Act taking effect.
A regional picture that challenges expectations
The regional picture also challenges the assumption that landlords across the country moved quickly to raise rents before the new rules applied.
Several areas that experienced stronger rental growth in early 2025 saw slower growth during the first quarter of 2026.
For example, in the North East, rents increased by 0.65% in Q1 2026, compared with 2.11% in Q1 2025.
In the East Midlands, rents rose by 0.44% in Q1 2026, down from 1.39% a year earlier.
Only three of England’s nine regions recorded faster rental growth in the first quarter of 2026 than they did during the same period in 2025:
London
Yorkshire and the Humber
South West England
Across the rest of the country, rental growth slowed compared with the previous year.
Looking beyond the regional averages
Regional averages can hide what is happening locally, so Inventory Base also reviewed rental growth across local authority areas in England.
Again, the findings were consistent.
Just 26.9% of local authorities recorded faster rental growth in Q1 2026 than they did in Q1 2025.
That means nearly three quarters of local areas showed either slower rental growth or no evidence of landlords accelerating rent increases ahead of the Act coming into force.
Local rental markets are always influenced by supply, demand, affordability, mortgage costs and property type. However, based on this analysis, the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act does not appear to have triggered a widespread rush to increase rents before implementation.
What happens now?
The more important question is how rental pricing strategies evolve now that the Act is in force.
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, says the changes are likely to push landlords towards a more considered and evidence-led approach to rent reviews.
“Now the Renters’ Rights Act is in force, rent reviews are going to come under far greater scrutiny. Landlords will still be able to increase rents, but they will need to be able to justify those increases with proper evidence, not instinct, habit or panic.
“The concern before implementation was that landlords would rush to raise rents ahead of the new rules. Our analysis suggests that has not happened at scale. In most parts of England, rental growth has either slowed or remained broadly in line with the previous year.
“That matters, because it shows the market has been more measured than many expected. But it also marks a shift in how landlords need to approach pricing from here.
“Comparable local rents, property condition, specification, location and market demand will all carry more weight. A rent increase that cannot be evidenced will be far easier to challenge.
“For landlords and agents, the message is simple: rent reviews need to be structured, proportionate and defensible. For tenants, the Act gives greater clarity on when increases can happen and stronger grounds to question rises that appear out of step with the local market.”
For landlords, this means monitoring comparable properties more closely, keeping clear records of local market evidence, reviewing rents in a structured way, and ensuring any increase is evidence-based and proportionate.
For tenants, it reinforces the importance of understanding local rental values and challenging increases that appear significantly out of line with similar properties in the area.
Could the Act bring more stability?
The Renters’ Rights Act has understandably generated concern across parts of the private rented sector, but one potential outcome is greater predictability.
With rent increases now more structured, landlords may focus on setting sustainable rental values from the beginning of a tenancy, while tenants gain greater certainty around how and when rents can change.
The long-term impact remains to be seen. Rental markets are shaped by wider economic pressures, including housing supply, demand, interest rates, landlord costs and household affordability.
What the data does show, however, is that the feared wave of pre-emptive rent increases did not materialise across most of England in the run-up to 1 May.
For now, the evidence points to a market that responded in a measured and relatively balanced way.
Sources and further information
This analysis is based on average private rental price data published by the Office for National Statistics, comparing Q1 2025 and Q1 2026 rental growth across England.
Further information on the Renters’ Rights Act is available from GOV.UK and UK Parliament.
For further information about the data sources used in this article, please contact marketing@inventorybase.com.
