Tenants staying put for nearly three years, new evidence reveals
Matt Trevett at The Deposit Protection Service says renters are now sticking with their existing tenancies for 20% longer than last year.
The average time tenants are staying put is now nearly three years, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS).
Renters in England and Wales are spending an average 1,085 days in a property, which was nearly 20% longer than the average for last year.
The DPS says there was an increase of 179 days or 19.75% compared with 2024 (906 days).
40% longer
And renters are now staying almost 40% (37.25%) longer in properties than in 2021 (773 days).
Matt Trevett, MD at The DPS (main picture), says: “The average tenancy increased during the pandemic, largely because of emergency restrictions on moving.
“Our data show a year-on-year increase in the average number of days our tenant customers spend in a property since February 2022, when those restrictions ended,” he says.
“Difficulties in securing rentals and the prospect of paying higher rents for a new property mean that many tenants are staying put for much longer.”
Deposits increase
Average rental deposits also increased from £948.88 in 2022 to £1,170.63 up to May this year, The DPS said.
The DPS said this data suggests that average rents have increased by 23.36% during the same period.
However, rent rises this year fell to their lowest level since July 2021, according to recent figures from Zoopla.
The portal’s latest report revealed the average rent for a new let increased by just 2.8% during the 12 months to April 2025.
* 2025 data covers period up to April/May
