The average cost of rent in September dropped only 91p from the August figure, to £1,346.28, but London and the South East have hit record levels, according to the Goodlord Rental Index.
Renters in London paid £2,275 per property – an increase of 6% month-on-month.
This was the first time the index recorded an average cost above the £2,200 threshold for the capital.
In the South East rental costs breached the £1,500 barrier for the first time, reaching £1,524 on average, a 2% rise on August figures.
Across the UK, rents remained at nearly 8% higher than the same time last year.
The North West and the West Midlands also saw marginal rises of 1% in the cost of the rent.
There were reductions in average costs for renters in the East Midlands, North East, and South West.
Average void periods in England increased by one day during September, from 13 days in August to a new average of 14.
Greater London saw the biggest decrease in voids, down by 9% in the capital, from 11 days to 10.
The North East retained the shortest void periods for the third months in a row, at 9 days.
The longest void periods have been recorded in the West Midlands, a title it also holds for the third month in a row, at 22 days.
The average salary of a tenant in England dropped from £37,037 in August to £35,386 – a reduction of 4.5%.
William Reeve, CEO of Goodlord, said: “Whilst this September didn’t bring the nationwide bump in rental prices we saw last year, records were smashed across London and the South East – with rental costs there now significantly higher than their 2022 and early 2023 levels.
“The onset of autumn typically brings a period of stability when it comes to prices, but with pressures on the market more intense than ever, we doubt September represents an end to the cycle of price setting which we’ve seen over recent months.”
