Private Sector Rent Statistics, Scotland, 2010 to 2023

Note that as with the previous publication, Scotland figures have been calculated using a weighted stock approach based on separate Scottish Household Survey data on the profile of stock by area and property size over time, although for this publication the weights used for the rental year 2020 have been rolled forward for the rental years 2021 to 2023 due to impacts from the Covid period on the comparability and availability of the survey results.

The use of a weighted stock approach aims to help ensure that the national average figures presented reflect the underlying composition of private rental properties over time, and to minimise any effects of changes to sample numbers achieved for particular property sizes or areas in any given years. Further information on this available in the Data and Methodology Section.

Table 6: Summary of average (mean) private rents (£ monthly): Scotland, 2010, 2022 and 2023 (years to end Sept)

Chart 12: When looking at average rents across Scotland as a whole, each property size category has seen a cumulative increase between 2010 and 2023, with 4 bedroom properties seeing the largest overall % increase

Scotland average (mean) monthly rents (£): 2010 to 2023 (years to end-Sept)

The greatest cumulative increase over the 13 years from 2010 to 2023 has been for 4 bedroom properties (estimated 76.5% increase). Average rents for 1 bedroom shared properties have seen a cumulative estimated increase of 60.5%, whilst average rents for 3 bedroom properties have increased by 52.4%, average rents for 2 bedroom properties have increased by 51.9%, and average rents for 1 bedroom properties have increased by 46.6%.

These cumulative increases equate to annualised growth rates of 3.0%, 3.3%, 3.3%, 4.5% and 3.7% for 1 to 4 bedroom and 1 bedroom shared properties respectively, when calculated on a compound annual increase basis between 2010 and 2023.

Average rents increased at a Scotland level in the latest year across all property size categories, with increases of:

• 11.7% or £68 per month for 1-bedroom properties, reaching £648 per month
• 14.3% or £105 per month for 2-bedroom properties, reaching £841 per month ,
• 13.3% or £121 per month for 3-bedroom properties, reaching £1,026 per month,
• 13.4% or £196 per month for 4-bedroom properties, reaching £1,656 per month and
• 15.1% or £64 per month for 1 bedroom shared properties reaching £490 per month.