Background: The Scale of the Private Rented Sector (The PRS)
It's huge.
£6.6 billion per month we estimate flows from renters to private landlords.
This puts the PRS alongside such industry sectors as defence and tourism.
The official surveys are the English Housing Survey and the English Private Landlord Survey. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do their own thing.
Value
No official figure is published for the total rent paid. This one is ours, and here is the arithmetic in round numbers:
| 4.7 million households | English Housing Survey 2024-25 |
| × £1,416 a month = £6.6 billion per month (approximate) | ONS, October 2025 |
| × 12 months = £80 billion a year (approximate) | our calculation |
Households
One in five households rents privately
| Households renting privately, England | 4.7 million — 19% of all households |
| Average household size, private renters (England) | 2.3 people |
English Housing Survey 2024-25, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, published 14 May 2026.
Properties
| Property type | Share of private rented homes |
|---|---|
| Terraced house | 34% |
| Purpose-built flat | 29% |
| Semi-detached house | 16% |
| Converted flat | 12% |
| Detached house | 5% |
| Bungalow | 3% |
England, 2023-24. English Housing Survey, rented sectors report.
Landlords
| Properties owned | Share of landlords | Share of tenancies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 property | 45% | 21% |
| 2 to 4 properties | 38% | 30% |
| 5 or more properties | 17% | 49% |
England. English Private Landlord Survey 2024, published 5 December 2024. The same survey found 56% of landlords describe the property as a long-term investment towards their pension.
Rents
| Average rent, London | £393 a week |
| Average rent, rest of England | £207 a week |
| Average rent, England | £1,416 a month |
London and rest of England: English Housing Survey 2024-25. England monthly average: Office for National Statistics (ONS), October 2025.
References
- English Housing Survey 2024-25 — Profile of households and dwellings (published 14 May 2026)
- English Housing Survey 2023-24 — Rented sectors
- English Private Landlord Survey 2024 — Main report (published 5 December 2024)
- ONS — Private rent and house prices, UK (published 19 November 2025; England figure for October 2025)