London’s average room rent saw a year-on year decrease of 0.9% in Q4 2025, and is now £985 per month.
This is according to flatshare site SpareRoom.
London rents hit a record high of £1,015 per month two years ago, in Q4 2023.
Despite marginal year-on-year average rent decreases throughout 2025, rents in the capital are still way above the ceiling of affordability for many people, after years of upward pressure on rents caused by intense post-pandemic demand.
A few postcodes in the east, north and south-east of London still offer average rents of under £800 per month, including E12 (Manor Park), E6 (East Ham) and N9 (Lower Edmonton).
But competition in suburbia is increasingly fierce.
Surrey town Esher has seen demand for rooms increase by 32% between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025 – one of the highest rises in the UK – and there are now 11.2 people searching for every room available to rent in that location.
With the average rent in Esher £740 per month, renting in Esher over London could save you almost £3,000 in rent per year, though commute costs should be factored in.
Today, demand – both nationwide and in London – has more or less corrected to pre-pandemic levels. Yet rents have remained high.
SW7 (South Kensington / Knightsbridge) has the most expensive average room rent in the capital at £1,539 per month. The cheapest postcode is E12 (Manor Park) with an average rent of £741 per month.
This table shows how room rents have changed year on year in the eight London postcode areas:
| London regions | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Average monthly room rent Q4 2024 | Annual change Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 |
| E | £949 | £957 | -0.9% |
| EC | £1,212 | £1,249 | -2.9% |
| N | £949 | £961 | -1.3% |
| NW | £985 | £1,016 | -3.0% |
| SE | £958 | £947 | 1.2% |
| SW | £1,028 | £1,037 | -0.9% |
| W | £1,054 | £1,053 | 0.1% |
| WC | £1,320 | £1,318 | 0.1% |
| London (inner) | £985 | £993 | -0.9% |
| Whole of UK | £749 | £745 | 0.5% |
| UK (excl London) | £670 | £664 | 0.9% |
This table shows the 10 most and least expensive postcode districts in London:
| Most expensive | Least expensive | ||
| Postcode | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Postcode | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 |
| SW7 (South Kensington/Knightsbridge) | £1,539 | E12 (Manor Park) | £741 |
| WC2 (Strand/Holborn) | £1,488 | E6 (East Ham) | £755 |
| W1 (West End/Soho) | £1,458 | N9 (Lower Edmonton) | £760 |
| W8 (Holland Park) | £1,442 | E4 (Chingford) | £768 |
| SW3 (Chelsea) | £1,341 | E7 (Forest Gate) | £781 |
| SW10 (West Brompton/Chelsea) | £1,335 | N18 (Upper Edmonton) | £791 |
| WC1 (Bloomsbury/High Holborn) | £1,300 | E13 (Plaistow) | £801 |
| E20 (Olympic Park) | £1,290 | SE9 (Eltham) | £807 |
| NW1 (Camden) | £1,273 | SE2 (Abbey Wood) | £814 |
| SW5 (Earl’s Court/West Brompton) | £1,257 | N13 (Palmers Green) | £824 |
This table shows the 10 postcode districts where rents have risen most year on year.
| Postcode | Average monthly room rent Q4 2025 | Average monthly room rent Q4 2024 | Annual change Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 |
| SW13 (Barnes) | £970 | £854 | 14% |
| NW7 (Mill Hill) | £926 | £820 | 13% |
| SE22 (Dulwich) | £976 | £889 | 10% |
| SE2 (Abbey Wood) | £814 | £758 | 7% |
| SE3 (Blackheath) | £961 | £901 | 7% |
| SW10 (West Brompton / Chelsea) | £1,335 | £1,252 | 7% |
| E18 (South Woodford) | £838 | £787 | 6% |
| SE13 (Lewisham) | £948 | £897 | 6% |
| E20 (Olympic Park) | £1,290 | £1,222 | 6% |
| SE26 (Sydenham) | £902 | £862 | 5% |
This article is taken from Landlord Today