Average landlord loses over £1,000 per void period, as cost rises 58% in three years

Across England, the average cost of a void rose from £696 in 2023 to £1,097 in 2026, an increase of 57.5%. Over the same period the average void lengthened from 17.5 days to 23.2 days. It stood at 18 days in 2022, dipped to 17.5 days in 2023, then rose to 18.4 days in 2024, 20.3 days in 2025 and 23.2 days in 2026.

Void costs have almost doubled in some regions

The North East saw the biggest increase, with the cost of a void up 92.4% from £318 in 2023 to £612 in 2026. The West Midlands was second, up 62.5% from £528 to £859.

In London the cost rose 61.9%, from £838 to £1,357, making it the most expensive region in England for a void in cash terms. The South East saw a 60.1% rise, from £658 to £1,053, and the North West a 59.5% rise, from £457 to £728.

Elsewhere, the estimated cost rose by 53.9% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 50.4% in the East of England, 44.8% in the South West and 42.4% in the East Midlands.

Preventing unnecessary void periods

Some void time is unavoidable when one tenancy ends and another begins, but Rushbrook says the rising cost makes it more important not to leave a property empty for longer than necessary.

Planning ahead of a tenancy ending can cut avoidable delays: spotting maintenance needs early, lining up contractors, coordinating the check-out and getting any work finished before the next tenant moves in. This matters most for portfolio landlords, where small delays across several properties soon add up to a much larger loss of rent.

Roma Sharma, Managing Director of Rushbrook, said:

"Void periods are an unavoidable reality of owning rental property, but unnecessary void days aren't, and the financial consequence of those additional days has increased considerably.

"Good management is about planning ahead, identifying what needs doing before a tenancy ends wherever possible and ensuring the right people are ready to act, so that a property isn't sitting empty simply because the next step hasn't been organised.

"For portfolio landlords in particular, those additional days can quickly add up across multiple properties, so minimising avoidable void periods is an important part of protecting rental income."

Data and sources

Sources: Goodlord Rental Index and Office for National Statistics (ONS) Private Rent and House Prices.

Rushbrook combined average void periods across England with average monthly private rents to estimate the rental income lost during the average void. The three-year comparison uses 2023 and 2026 data.

View the full data tables and sources online.