Hampshire · South East
Average rent in Southampton (2026)
A port and university city where the market is anchored by student lets around Portswood and newer harbourside flats in Ocean Village.
That is £279 per week, based on 100 live listings. Most rents fall between £676 and £2,239 per month; the median is £949.
How much is rent in Southampton?
In the current sample, one-bedroom homes average £926, two-bedroom homes average £1,261, three-bedroom homes average £1,542 and homes with four or more bedrooms average £2,832 per month. Sizes with fewer than three live listings are left out rather than shown on thin evidence, so the table below only quotes figures the sample can support.
| Home size | Average rent | Listing range | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £926 pcm | £550 to £1,148 | 39 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,261 pcm | £997 to £1,499 | 12 |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,542 pcm | £1,499 to £1,599 | 7 |
| 4+ bedrooms | £2,832 pcm | £1,751 to £3,826 | 14 |
Rent prices in Southampton: the spread
Flats currently average £987 per month across 82 listings, while houses average £2,224 across 18. Flats make up 82% of the sample.
The cheapest tenth of listings sit below £676 per month and the dearest tenth above £2,239. The single cheapest live listing is £494 and the dearest £3,826, which is why the average is a starting point for judging your own rent, not a verdict on it.
Is Southampton a landlord's market right now?
- Market rating
- Balanced market
- Average time to let
- 90 days
- Homes listed for rent
- 583
Supply and demand are roughly in step, so asking rents are a reasonable guide to the market. There is still room to negotiate, especially on homes that have been listed for a while, and any rent increase must still sit at or below the open-market rate to survive a challenge.
The five-year backdrop
House prices in SO14, the postcode district at the heart of Southampton, have risen 5.6% over the five years to Jul 2026. Property values move rents indirectly: sustained rises tend to feed landlord expectations at the next rent review, while flat or falling values often foreshadow softer asking rents. Treat this as backdrop, not as proof for or against any individual increase.
| Year | Average value | Annual change |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2021 | £203,907 | +1.5% |
| Jul 2022 | £215,093 | +5.5% |
| Jul 2023 | £209,595 | -2.6% |
| Jul 2024 | £218,677 | +4.3% |
| Jul 2025 | £214,493 | -1.9% |
| Jul 2026 | £215,388 | +0.4% |
Is your rent increase fair?
Averages for Southampton are the backdrop; your case turns on your own postcode and your own notice. Check the proposed figure against live market data for your street, then test the notice itself against the legal rules. Both checks are free.
Southampton rent FAQs
What is the average rent in Southampton?
The average asking rent in Southampton is £1,210 per month (£279 per week), based on 100 live listings gathered from Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket. Most listings fall between £676 and £2,239 per month. These are advertised rents, so what tenants actually agree to pay is often a little lower.
How much is rent for a one-bedroom home in Southampton?
Live listings for one-bedroom homes in Southampton currently average £926 per month, ranging from £550 to £1,148 across 39 listings. Condition, exact location and what is included in the rent (parking, bills, appliances) all move an individual home above or below that figure.
Is Southampton a landlord's market or a tenant's market?
PropertyData currently rates Southampton as a balanced market. Rental listings currently take an average of 90 days to let. Supply and demand are roughly in step, so asking rents are a reasonable guide to the market. There is still room to negotiate, especially on homes that have been listed for a while, and any rent increase must still sit at or below the open-market rate to survive a challenge.
Can my landlord charge more than the average rent in Southampton?
A landlord can advertise a new tenancy at any figure. Mid-tenancy is different: since 1 May 2026, rent on an assured periodic tenancy in England can only rise through a Section 13 notice on Form 4A, at most once a year, with at least two months' notice. The legal ceiling is the open-market rent, which is what similar homes in Southampton actually let for. If the proposed figure is above that, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal for £47, and the tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the figure your landlord proposed.
How do I challenge a rent increase in Southampton?
Start by checking the notice itself: RentSOS tests it against the legal rules for free in about two minutes, and compares the proposed figure with live market data for your postcode rather than the Southampton average alone. If the notice is invalid you are not required to pay the new rent. If it is valid but above market, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal on Form MR1 before the increase date, and keep paying your current rent in full while the challenge runs.
About these figures
Figures on this page are asking rents for live lettings listings, gathered by PropertyData from Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, sampled around the town centre. The page refreshes at most every 24 hours, averages are recalculated from the individual listings each time, and the same property advertised on more than one portal may be counted more than once. Asking rents are the start of a negotiation, not proof of what tenants actually pay.