Fears that London landlords would respond to the Renters’ Rights Act by sharply raising rents appear to have missed the point, according to research by estate agents Benham and Reeves.
The analysis showed that average rents in the capital rose by just 0.7% in the following five months the legislation received Royal Assent on October 27, 2025 – exactly the same growth rate as in the previous five-month period.
The findings dispute that landlords would pass on the costs of new regulations to tenants through higher rents. In fact, rent growth slowed in most London boroughs after the landmark reforms came into effect.
Of London’s 32 boroughs, 18 showed a slowdown in rental growth between October 2025 and March 2026 compared to the previous five months.
Kingston upon Thames saw the most significant shift. Rents had risen by 2.9% between May and October 2025, but fell by 1.9% in the months following the royal assent, marking a slowdown of 4.8 percentage points.
Camden also saw rental prices weaken further, with values falling 5% after the legislation came into effect, compared to a 1% decline in the previous period.
Other boroughs that experienced a notable slowdown included Havering, where rental growth slowed from 3.5% to 0.3%, and Bexley, where growth slowed from 3.9% to 1.1%. Westminster and Barking & Dagenham also recorded a marked decline in rental growth.
Not all areas followed the trend. Brent posted the strongest turnaround, from a 5.2% rental decline before Royal Assent to a 2.2% growth afterwards – a swing of 7.4 percentage points.
Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Greenwich, Waltham Forest and Islington also saw rental growth accelerate following the introduction of the reforms.
Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves, said the figures suggest landlords have not used the legislation as a reason to increase rents.
“Top rental growth in London has been unchanged, while most boroughs have seen slow growth,” he said. “This shows that rental values are still determined by local supply and demand dynamics, and not just by legislative changes.”
He added that while landlords face increased compliance obligations, affordability remains an important consideration, with many focusing on attracting and retaining reliable tenants.
The research was based on private rental data from the Office for National Statistics, comparing average rents in the five months before and after the Renters’ Rights Act received royal assent.