The tenant's view
Our survey of tenants provides them with the opportunity to share their rental experiences and give their view of the market – from how they've sourced their current tenancies, to the ease of moving to a new property.
The 1,271 tenants that responded to our latest survey were drawn from a range of demographic backgrounds.
The number of tenants moving into new rentals fell slightly since October 2025, with 84% of tenants not moving in the past year, compared to 82% in our last survey. Only 9% of respondents stated they moved in the last 6 to 12 months, 1% lower than October 2025.
Since our last survey, the percentage of tenants who told us they would have liked to move decreased from 33% to 29%, reflective of the more stable market conditions.
40%
said they were forced to stay living in a property with issues such as dampness or damage
26%
said they were paying more than they could afford in their current home
24%
said they would like to move, as their current property is too small
Affordability has improved for many tenants who moved, with fewer having to pay more than their previous tenancy.
Of those having to pay higher rent, increases below 20% grew from 49% in October to 58% in May. Rent increases of over 50% rose 1% in the same wave. Of those who moved:
53%
are paying a higher rent than their previous property, 6% lower than October 2025
45%
had to pay more than a month's rent upfront to secure their new property, a fall of 1% since October
8%
had to put in an offer over the listed price
23%
saw the time it takes for them to commute to work increase
Under the Renters' Rights Act, from 1 May 2026 landlords can request no more than one months rent upfront. They must also must state a single, precise rent amount for a defined period (weekly or monthly). "Offers over," or "price on application" are no longer permitted. We expect these figures will reflect the change in the rules in our next report.
Tenants that moved in the last year vs those that didn't
We asked tenants if they'd moved in the last 12 months. Many of the subsequent questions we asked were dependent on their response to this question.
Movers
Where tenants told us they'd moved in the last six months, we asked:
How easy or difficult was it to secure your present rental property?
This graph shows tenant experiences of securing the property. In our latest wave, 32% found it neither easy nor difficult to secure their property, although 36% of tenants found it difficult or very difficult.
Percentage of tenants experiencing rent increases
We asked all tenants who moved, how much their rent increased in the new property.
Tenant experiences with rent increases
We asked all tenants if they experienced rent increases and if so, how much more they were now paying.
Impact of higher rents on tenants
We asked tenants experiencing higher rents how this had affected them.
Non-movers
Tenants content to stay in current property vs those that wanted to move
If tenants told us they hadn't moved in the last six months, we asked them if they would have liked to.
Reasons tenants wanted to move
Where tenants told us they would have liked to move, we asked them why.
Wave 7 (May 2026)
- I've had to remain living in a property where there are issues such as dampness or damage (40%).
- I'm paying more than I can afford in my existing properties (26%).
- I've had to remain living in a property that is too small (24%).
Wave 6 (Oct 2025)
- I've had to remain living in a property where there are issues such as dampness or damage (37%).
- I'm paying more than I can afford in my existing properties (34%).
- I've had to remain living in a property that is too small (28%).
Wave 4 (Mar 2025)
- I've had to remain living in a property where there are issues such as dampness or damage (40%).
- I'm paying more than I can afford in my existing properties (32%).
- I've had to remain living in a property that is too small (24%).
Demographics
We asked tenants several demographic questions to understand more about the respondents and potentially identify any trends within groups.
Length of time tenant has spent as a renter
Tenant attitudes towards owning a home
We asked all tenants if they were interested in owning their own home in the future.
For a more in-depth view of all tenant statistics, please view the full Private Rented Sector review PDF.