This guide summarises the latest official figures on private rents in Hull and the surrounding East Riding, and explains the main changes made by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which reformed private tenancies in England from 1 May 2026.
Average rents in Hull
The average monthly private rent in the City of Kingston upon Hull was £694 in August 2026, 7.4% higher than a year earlier, when it was £646 (ONS, Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026). By number of bedrooms, average monthly rents in Hull were:
- One bedroom: £500, up 7.4%
- Two bedrooms: £621, up 7.7%
- Three bedrooms: £744, up 7.8%
- Four or more bedrooms: £985, up 7.2%
Source: ONS, Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026.
East Riding and wider comparison
In East Riding of Yorkshire the average monthly rent was £724 in August 2026, up 4.6% on a year earlier. One bedroom homes averaged £503, two bedrooms £650, three bedrooms £799 and four or more bedrooms £1,164 (ONS, Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026).
Across Yorkshire and The Humber the average was £865, up 4.9%, and across England £1,459, up 4.0% (ONS, Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026). Rents in Hull remain below the regional average, but have risen faster over the past year than in the region or in England as a whole.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025: what has changed
The main tenancy reforms in the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026. According to government guidance:
- Section 21 has been abolished. Landlords can no longer end a private tenancy without a legal reason. A section 21 notice served before 1 May 2026 could only be relied on if court proceedings were started by 31 July 2026 at the latest, and that deadline has now passed.
- Assured shorthold tenancies no longer exist. All existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic, or rolling, tenancies on 1 May 2026, and new fixed term assured shorthold tenancies cannot be created.
- Possession requires a ground. A landlord who wants a property back must serve a section 8 notice relying on one or more of the statutory grounds. The minimum notice is usually at least two months and can be up to four months, depending on the ground. A landlord who wishes to sell must give four months' notice and cannot rely on that ground to recover possession within the first 12 months of a tenancy.
- Rent increases. Rent can be increased only once a year using the statutory notice (form 4A), with at least two months' notice. A tenant who considers the new rent to be above the open market rent can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide it.
- Letting practices. Rental bidding is banned, rent in advance is limited to one month, landlords must consider requests to keep a pet, and it is unlawful to discriminate against tenants because they have children or receive benefits.
Further stages are planned. The government's roadmap states that a Private Rented Sector Database will begin a regional rollout from late 2026 and that membership of a new landlord ombudsman will become mandatory in 2028 (GOV.UK, Renters' Rights Act implementation roadmap).
What this means in practice
For landlords, the end of section 21 places more weight on accurate paperwork and on the grounds for possession. Deposit protection, gas safety and energy performance records, and written tenancy terms all matter if a case reaches court. For tenants, the changes provide greater security, but rent and repair obligations continue, and rent arrears remain a ground for possession.
When to take legal advice
It is sensible to take advice before serving a notice seeking possession, when a tenancy dispute cannot be resolved informally, or when buying or selling a property with tenants in occupation, since the tenancy will usually continue after completion. If you are buying a property to let, our buy to let conveyancing page explains how we can help, and our guide to buying an investment property in Hull covers the legal points in more detail.
Brewer Wallace Solicitors can be contacted at 2 Parliament Street, Hull HU1 2AP (01482 228808).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Price Index of Private Rents (released 16 September 2026), August 2026: www.ons.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap, Published 13 November 2025: www.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Renting out your property: guidance for landlords and letting agents, Checked 7 October 2026: www.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Giving notice of possession to tenants before 1 May 2026, Updated 1 August 2026: www.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents, Checked 7 October 2026: www.gov.uk