After years of fast growth, advertised rents in Scotland are lower than a year ago. Here is what the figures show and why it matters.
For years, Scottish rents went up fast. Now they have stopped. New figures show advertised rents are lower than a year ago for the first time since 2017. Here is what the numbers say and what they mean for landlords and tenants.
According to Citylets, the average advertised rent in Scotland was £1,248 a month in the second quarter of 2026. That is 0.2% lower than a year earlier. In the first quarter, rents were down 0.4%, the first annual fall since 2017. Homes are still letting quickly, in 29 days on average.
Rents are still much higher than a few years ago. They are up 41% over five years, so this is a pause, not a crash.
Average advertised rents in Scotland, Q2 2026. Source: Citylets.
Smaller flats are where rents are falling. Bigger family homes are still going up a little.
On our homepage we show an average rent of £1,013, up 1.1% in a year. That figure is from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and includes rents on existing tenancies, many of which were set years ago. Citylets only counts new lets that are advertised. New lets react first when the market changes, so they show the turning point earlier.
After the big rises of 2022 to 2024, rents reached the limit of what many tenants can afford. Temporary limits on rent increases during a tenancy ended in April 2025, and since then the market has settled. Citylets describes supply and demand as balanced, with well-presented homes still letting easily.
Don't plan on rent rises to make a deal work. At the same time, mortgage rates have gone up again, with the average five-year fixed rate at about 5.8% in September. On an average Scottish home, the average rent now only just passes a lender's rental test for a higher-rate taxpayer. You can check your own figures in the buy-to-let calculator.
Flat rents could also matter for rent controls. Councils are now assessing local rents, and two years of little or no growth may affect where controls are used.
Tenants have more choice than in recent years, especially for one-bedroom flats. There may be room to negotiate, particularly if you are a good tenant and ready to sign for a longer stay.
Sources: Citylets Q2 2026 · Citylets Q1 2026 · ONS, September 2026