Brent was the only London borough in which rent prices went down last year, a decline of 8.8%, new data from the Office for National Statistics reveals.
In October 2024, the average rental price in Brent was £2,112 per month, whereas in October 2025 the average rental price was £1,926 per month.
This makes Brent the borough with the joint sixth greatest change in average rental price in the last 12 months, out of 32 London boroughs.
Rent prices in Brent in 2024 saw the biggest increase in London after steadily rising for years.
Across the other boroughs, monthly rental price increased by an average of 6.01%, making the 8.8% decline in Brent a clear outlier.
Monthly rental prices in Brent decreased by the highest percentage in the last year for four bedroom properties, which went down by 9.6%, or £313.
However, all categories of rental property went down by a significant margin, with one bedroom properties declining by £139 or 8.4%.
Jonathan Singh has rented one bedroom properties in Brent for the past four years.
He said that between 2021 and 2024, his rent rose by a total of around £500 per month.
However, when he moved to a similar one bedroom property in 2025, his rent became £100 cheaper.
He said: “Brent is predominantly a poor borough but with a few rich areas clustered in the east.
“I would be cautious of overall trends in Brent because Brent has a big disparity between the wealthy areas and the poorer areas.
“What I suspect is that the average has been dragged down by lots of poorer areas going down.”
According to Singh, house building in Brent is a good thing for bringing down rent prices.
He said: “I know in some of the places where lots of houses have been built in a short time, that has angered people.
“But as a renter that is good I think. The correlation is clear: more houses means lower rents.”
Looking at rental prices in North West London over the last ten years, average monthly rental price has been steadily increasing since 2015.
However, in Brent, prices steadily increased in line with the rest of the region until 2023, when they began increasing more rapidly, before plummeting between 2024 and 2025.
Average monthly rental prices increased marginally over the last 12 months in other North West London boroughs.
But prices in Brent remained steady until April 2025, before gradually decreasing over the last six months.
Jason Gibbs, Residential Sales Manager at Hoopers estate agents in Brent Park, told the Londoners that his business had seen a ‘downwards spiral’ in terms of renters in the last year.
However, Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of the Liberal Democrats group in Brent council, said that he was surprised to hear that rent had gone down in the borough.
He said: “Listening to local residents I get the impression that rent is still quite expensive.
“I’m wondering whether it is influenced by the amount of new developments that have gone up.”
Lorber added that he thought the decline in rental prices may have been influenced by these new developments not being sold, and developers subsequently attempting to rent them out at a lower price.
He said: “Over the last few years there has been a bit of an explosion in the number of developments going up and some of them have been getting higher and higher.
“But the message from the council now is that developers are finding it quite tough.
“The demand to buy has substantially reduced and there are a lot of proposed developments that have effectively been shelved.
“The developers are not proceeding with certain blocks of flats. The demand to buy has fallen away.”
This is despite reports from July 2025 that Brent Council were seeking a development partner for 1,600 new homes as part of its regeneration programme.
In Brent Borough Council’s plan for 2023-2027, the council pledged to: ‘Improve the quality of housing in Brent across the private sector and our own housing stock.’
The council also aims to continue with their pledge to deliver 1,000 new council homes and build inclusive and more affordable homes.
Improvements needed
However, despite declining prices, Singh said that there was still much to be improved on in Brent’s rental market.
He said: “The advantage of renting is that you don’t want to commit to that area for a long time, but what you do want is high rates of amenities, whether that’s social amenities like bars and restaurants or parks and doctor’s surgeries.
“It feels like to me that you have these high density areas of flats, that are designed for renters, but without any of the attractions that renters want.
“The flip side is that they probably are quite attractive to people that can buy.
“While people buying still want amenities, if you feel like that is the best way to get your first foot on the ladder, then that is something you would probably be willing to compromise on, more than a renter might.”
He added: “I want to see the building of more social housing.
“That is something all councillors need to do and Brent needs to do especially.”
Affordable housing
However, according to Lorber, the Brent rental market has an impact on affordable housing organised by the council.
He said: “A lot of developments depend on private developments where the council is able to obtain a proportion of affordable homes.
“If private developments freeze up, there are less opportunities for the affordable housing providers and councils to do very much more.
“So it’s not so much a council intervention, it’s a central government intervention that is required.”
He added: “Allowing councils to borrow more is the only way that you increase the supply.
“It’s increasing the supply that will assist in reducing rents further.”
Brent Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Brent’s rental market reflects the wider slowdown in rental inflation across the UK.
“Although London rents remain high, this slowdown offers some welcome relief for renters. Our neighbouring boroughs, Camden and Westminster, saw decreases in late 2025, suggesting a similar trajectory.
“With almost half of Brent’s homes privately rented, we’ve taken strong action to support renters. Under our current Selective and Mandatory licensing schemes, most landlords must hold a licence, and we have a long-standing record of prosecuting rogue landlords.
“Building on this, from February 2026 when our Additional HMO licensing scheme is introduced, all landlords in Brent will be required to hold a license.
“Everyone deserves a safe, secure home. That’s why we help renters understand their rights – soon to be strengthened by the Renters Rights Bill – and how to report issues quickly.”
Featured image credit: Pexels, Mike Bird
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