Average Rent, House Prices and Buy-to-Let Yield in County Durham (July 2026)
The average private rent in County Durham is £645 a month (ONS, July 2026) and the average house price £138,148 (HM Land Registry, June 2026): a gross yield of 5.6%, ranked 24 of 316 local authorities.
Rent in County Durham
The average private rent across all property types is £645 a month (+6.0% on a year earlier). The regional median in the North East is £702.
| Property | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £453 | £5,436 a year |
| 2 bedrooms | £574 | £6,888 a year |
| 3 bedrooms | £688 | £8,256 a year |
| 4+ bedrooms | £992 | £11,904 a year |
The bedroom ladder in County Durham: one to two bedrooms adds 26.7% to the rent, two to three adds 19.9% and three to four-plus adds 44.2% (England-and-Wales medians 27.3%, 20.9% and 40.9%). The biggest step here is three to four or more bedrooms — the size where an extra room earns most, and the first place to look when comparing a conversion against its cost.
House prices in County Durham
The average price paid is £138,148 (+7.0% on a year earlier).
| Type | Average price |
|---|---|
| Detached | £236,657 |
| Semi-detached | £138,892 |
| Terraced | £114,222 |
| Flat | £77,271 |
Rents and prices moved together in County Durham — +6% and +7% over the year — so the gross yield on offer is roughly where it was twelve months ago. County Durham ranks 66th of 316 local authorities for rent growth and 33rd of 316 for price growth; the England-and-Wales medians are +3.8% and +2.8%.
Gross yield by property type in County Durham
| Type | Rent / month | Average price | Gross yield | E&W median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £574 | £77,271 | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Terraced house | £688 | £114,222 | 7.2% | 5.7% |
| Semi-detached | £688 | £138,892 | 5.9% | 4.6% |
| Detached | £992 | £236,657 | 5% | 4.1% |
On these pairings the strongest gross yield in County Durham is on flats at 8.9%, against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type; the weakest is detached. Gross figures ignore service charges, which usually make flats the thinnest net yield of the four.
What that means for a landlord
- Gross yield 5.6% (rent × 12 ÷ price) — rank 24 of 316 local authorities; the regional median is 5.3%. Net yield is lower once mortgage interest, insurance, maintenance and voids come off.
- Tenant affordability: referencing at 30× means a household income of about £19,350 a year for the average rent.
- EPC before 2030: 33% of EPCs lodged in County Durham over the last year were below band C — the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 — with 29% at D (EPC ratings in County Durham).
- Council tax: Band D in County Durham is £2,622 for 2026/27, and the council charges a 100% second-home premium (council tax in County Durham).
Lender maths on the averages. At a 5.5% stress rate and 145% rent cover — the common buy-to-let convention — the average rent of £645 supports a loan of about £97,053, which is 70.3% of the average price. That falls short of 75% loan-to-value, so a buyer of an average home here needs a larger deposit or a stronger rent to pass the stress test. Both numbers are conventions rather than rules — change them in the stress test.
Run the numbers for County Durham
- Yield calculator with £138,148 and £645 already filled in
- Mortgage stress test at 75% LTV on the average price
- Rent affordability: the income a tenant needs to reference at £645 a month
- Rental income tax on £7,740 a year of rent
Nearest neighbours by yield, in the North East
| Area | Rent | Price | Yield | Rent 12m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | £699 | £137,773 | 6.1% | +4.7% |
| Gateshead | £798 | £158,254 | 6.1% | +5.3% |
| Sunderland | £704 | £143,216 | 5.9% | +4.6% |
| South Tyneside | £737 | £161,372 | 5.5% | +6.9% |
| Darlington | £686 | £158,188 | 5.2% | +6.2% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £735 | £170,923 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
All 316 areas ranked · council tax in County Durham · EPC ratings in County Durham.
Rents: ONS, Price Index of Private Rents (average monthly private rent by local authority, July 2026). Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index (average price, June 2026). Gross yield = rent × 12 ÷ price, our calculation. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Rankings and medians are ours, across 316 local authorities.
Asked about this area
£645 a month across all property types (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026), up 6.0% on a year earlier.
£138,148 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, June 2026).
About 5.6% gross on the averages — £645 rent against a £138,148 price — ranking 24 of 316 local authorities. Net yield depends on your mortgage and costs.
Flats on our pairing: 8.9% gross (£574 rent on a £77,271 price), against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type.
Rents +6% against prices +7% over the year — moving together, so yield is broadly stable.
Referencing at 30 times the monthly rent points to roughly £19,350 a year of household income for the average home; the affordability calculator shows 24× and 36× too.