The Office for National Statistics' latest Private Rent and House Prices release for August 2026 confirms what many landlords and buyers have felt on the ground for months: the rental market is cooling from its post-pandemic fever pitch, even as it continues to run well ahead of general inflation, while house price growth remains modest and uneven across the country. Average UK private rents rose by 4.8% in the 12 months to August 2026, down from the double-digit peaks recorded in 2023 and 2024, taking the typical UK rent to roughly £1,350 per month. Meanwhile, average house prices increased by just 2.1% annually, to around £298,000, underlining a housing market that remains constrained by mortgage affordability even as the rate-cutting cycle has begun to bed in.