Scottish Housing Market Review Q2 2026
Quarterly bulletin collating a range of previously published statistics on the latest trends in the Scottish housing market.
4. Private Rental Sector
4.1. Private Housing Rental Prices
Citylets data indicate a sustained deceleration in rental inflation in Scotland. Annual growth in average new let rents fell from a cost-of-living-crisis peak of 13.7% in Q3 2023 to -0.4% in Q1 2026. The negative growth rate in Q1 2026 was the first recorded year-on-year fall in this index since Q4 2017. Data from Rightmove also point to a softening of conditions in Scotland’s private rented sector, with average rents increasing by a modest 1.2% over the year to Q1 2026. Adjusting the Citylets data for inflation shows an annual decline of 3.4% in Q1 2026, marking the third consecutive quarter of negative real-terms growth. (Source: Citylets, ONS)
It should be noted that letting agencies only cover around half of the private rented sector, and each letting agent's data will be affected by its market coverage, which will vary by geography and market segment.
Chart 4.1 Annual change in Citylets Rental Index, Scotland, and Consumer Price Index, UK (Quarterly data, to Q1 2026)
Source: CityLets and ONS
Contact
Email: Bruce.Teubes@gov.scot