Forget the national averages for a moment. Here's what real County Durham landlords are charging right now, from our own managed portfolio - and it might be more than you're charging.

📍 Real rents, by bedroom count

By bedroomsAvg. rent achievedSample
2 bed£53996 properties
3 bed£60953 properties

These are genuinely large samples across a wide county - from Consett and Stanley in the north to Peterlee and Seaham on the coast, prices and rents both vary by area, but the averages above hold up well across nearly 150 real tenancies.

📈 Real rent increases we've just pushed through

Here are six rent reviews we've completed for County Durham landlords in the last few months - real increases, already agreed:

Area / bedsPrevious rentNew rentIncrease
SR7, 2 bed£475£530+11.6%
DH1, 2 bed£950£1,045+10.0%
DH8, 2 bed£485£535+10.3%
DL14, 2 bed£595£655+10.1%
DH3, 2 bed£660£714+8.2%
DH7, 3 bed£675£685+1.5%

Average across 37 completed reviews since August: +6.5%, ranging 1.5% to 11.6%, broadly in line with the countywide rent growth figure below.

Worth noting: all of these went through under the Renters' Rights Act, which came into force on 1st May. Rent review clauses no longer work, and Section 13 - a formal notice, Form 4A, with two months' notice - is now the only legal route to a rent increase. The process has changed, but as these reviews show, it hasn't stopped landlords from getting a fair increase when the numbers justify it.

📊 The countywide numbers

County Durham's average house price is up 7.0% this year, and rent has grown 6.0%.

Avg. house priceAvg. rent (pcm)Best yield: flats
£138,000 (↑ 7.0% year-on-year)£645 (↑ 6.0% year-on-year)8.5% (Est. gross yield)

Here's how that plays out by property type.

💷 Buy-to-let snapshot by property type

TypeAvg. priceAvg. rentEst. yield
Flat£77,000£5438.5%
Terraced£114,000£6777.1%
Semi-detached£139,000£6785.9%
Detached£237,000£8714.4%

Estimated gross yield, calculated from average price and average rent by property type. Excludes costs, fees, and void periods.

🏠 Investment opportunity we're marketing

2 Bed End of Terrace House, Albert Street North, Thornley, Durham — Offers over £69,950 — New Listing, No Chain

For more properties we're marketing across County Durham, visit nguhomes.co.uk.

That's what making money from property in County Durham actually looks like right now - real rent increases, on real properties, not just a market average. If you'd like to talk through your rent, a purchase, or your wider portfolio, just reply and I'll go through the numbers with you.