Private sector rent statistics: 2010 - 2021

5. Main Findings for 3 Bedroom Properties

In the year to end September 2021, average 3 bedroom rents increased above the average 12 month UK CPI inflation rate of 1.5% in 9 out of 18 areas, with the highest increasing being seen in Fife (8.4%), Scottish Borders (5.1%), and East Dunbartonshire (4.2%). A further two areas saw increases in average rents but below CPI, including Forth Valley (0.6%) and Highland and Islands (1.4%).

Two areas saw little change (within +/-0.5%) in average rents compared with the previous year, including Dumfries and Galloway and West Dunbartonshire.

Average rents decreased by more than 0.5% in Greater Glasgow (-1.2%), Aberdeen and Shire (-2.1%), Renfrewshire / Inverclyde (-2.5%), Lothian (-3.2%) and Argyll and Bute (-11.0%).

Average rents for 3 bedroom properties at the Scotland level showed no change (0.0%) between 2020 and 2021, remaining at £843 in 2021, which compares to an average increase in UK CPI of 1.5% across the year to September 2021.

Figures on longer term changes to rents for 3 bedroom properties over the period from 2010 to 2021 should be considered in the context of the cumulative increase in UK CPI of 24.3% from the year to end September 2010 to the year to end September 2021.

Over the 11 year period from 2010 to 2021, eight areas have seen rent increases above the level of CPI inflation, ranging from an increase of 26.9% in West Lothian up to 41.8% in Lothian.

These cumulative increases equate to a range of annualised growth rates between 2.2% in West Lothian to 3.2% in Lothian, when calculated on a compound annual increase basis between 2010 and 2021.

For the remaining ten areas of Scotland, cumulative increases have been below CPI inflation, and have ranged from 3.4% in Argyll and Bute up to 24.0% in Highland and Islands.

These regional trends combine to show an estimated 25.3% cumulative increase for 3 bedroom properties between 2010 and 2021 (equating to an annualised growth rate of 2.1%), to £844 in 2021. See Table 3 and Chart 6 below.

See Reference Tables (Tables 7 to 17) for a more detailed breakdown of quartile and average rents for each year.

* Note that the Scotland figures have been calculated using a weighted stock approach. See Section 8 for further details.

*Note that the Scotland figures have been calculated using a weighted stock approach. See Section 8 for further details.

In the year to end September 2021, Lothian had the highest average monthly rents for 3 bedroom properties across Scotland (£1,301). Areas with the lowest average rents for 3 bedroom properties included the Ayrshires (£608), North Lanarkshire (£600) and Dumfries and Galloway (£547). See Chart 7 below.

*Note that the Scotland figures have been calculated using a weighted stock approach. See Section 8 for further details.