The exchange
How it works
Area answers stay open
Area-level figures come from the ONS and are free for everyone, without an account or contribution. When enough renters contribute for a postcode district and property size, we show a separate community median beneath the ONS result. That is the part of rent.fyi designed to be found and used quickly.
Contributions unlock building detail
When you choose to add your rent, the address helps us group contributions by building. Building-level medians, asking-versus-paid gaps and renewal changes are shown only as aggregates and only after the relevant suppression threshold is reached.
Contributions also unlock the explorer
The postcode-district rent pages stay open to everyone. After one contribution, the Where else could I live? explorer compares the same rent and property size across London districts, with each result leading into the open true-cost calculator. Districts with fewer than five ONS records are omitted.
The exchange is explicit
Your ONS result does not depend on contributing. When you choose to add your rent, the button is an explicit choice to share it for this purpose. Your address is used to build the aggregate and is never shown, shared, sold or included in a share link.
Why this model exists
The open layer brings useful rental-cost traffic. Contributions create building-level data that does not exist in public datasets. The commercial value is in suppressed, aggregate insight, never in individual records.
Questions this site answers
What is the true monthly cost of renting in London?
The true monthly cost starts with advertised rent and adds the costs you choose, such as council tax, energy, water, broadband and commuting. Use the London rental cost calculator to keep the source and date beside each figure.
Where can I check average rent by London postcode?
The London rent pages show ONS medians and quartiles by postcode district and property size. Each page links to the ONS release and keeps the publication period visible.
How much do bills add to rent?
Council tax, energy, water, broadband and commuting depend on the property and household. rent.fyi shows a sourced or modelled figure where available, clearly labels estimates, and lets you enter what you actually pay.
Can I compare London rental properties fairly?
Yes. Add up to three homes and compare their total monthly cost rather than advertised rent alone. The comparison keeps official, estimated and user-entered figures separate.
Can I check a London rent without an account?
Yes. The public ONS rent check, static postcode pages and true-cost calculator remain available without an account or contribution.