Did landlords frontload rent hikes ahead of the RRA?

The latest insight from Inventory Base suggests that, despite the incoming Renters' Rights Act limiting rent increases to once per year, only around a quarter of landlords appeared to pre-empt the change by front-loading rent rises ahead of the 1st May deadline.

This comes amid wider policy uncertainty in the rental sector, with the UK government this week reportedly rowing back on a proposed rent freeze, underlining how fluid the direction of travel remains for both landlords and tenants.

Inventory Base analysed the latest private rental price data from the Office for National Statistics*, comparing average rent growth in the first quarter of 2026 with the same period in 2025. The aim was to assess whether rents have been rising more rapidly this year in anticipation of the Renters' Rights Act coming into force.

The data shows that between January and March 2026, the average rent in England increased by 0.77%, reaching £1,434 per month. However, this rise is slightly lower than in the same period last year, when rents increased by 0.80%.

At a regional level, there is little evidence of a widespread push to front-load rent increases ahead of the legislation.

In the North East, for example, rents rose by 0.65% in Q1 2026, compared with a much sharper increase of 2.11% during the first quarter of 2025. A similar pattern is seen in the East Midlands, where rents increased by 0.44% in Q1 2026, well below the 1.39% rise recorded a year earlier.

Overall, only three of England's nine regions have seen faster rental growth in the first quarter of 2026 compared with 2025. These include London, where rents rose by 1.20% this year versus 0.63% last year, as well as Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West.

Across all other regions, rental growth has slowed year on year. This trend is echoed at a local level: across 294 local authority areas in England, just 26.9% recorded faster rent growth in Q1 2026 than in Q1 2025.

In the remaining 73.1% of areas, the introduction of the Renters' Rights Act does not appear to have prompted landlords to accelerate rent increases.

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, commented:

"While there had been widespread concern that landlords would rush to increase rents ahead of the Renters' Rights Act, these figures suggest a far more measured response across the market. That should provide reassurance to renters who may have been bracing for sharp, short-term increases with the new rules coming into force.

Now, what we're likely to see instead is a shift in how and when rents are reviewed. With increases limited to once per year and subject to greater scrutiny, landlords will need to take a more considered, evidence-based approach, setting rents in line with local market conditions from the outset, rather than relying on more frequent adjustments

For landlords, this means keeping closer track of comparable listings and ensuring any increase can be clearly justified. For tenants, it reinforces the importance of understanding local rental values and being prepared to challenge rises that appear out of step with the market.

In the longer term, the legislation should encourage greater stability in the private rental sector, but it may also lead to more decisive pricing at the start of a tenancy, as landlords look to future-proof against more limited flexibility."