Average Rent, House Prices and Buy-to-Let Yield in Darlington (July 2026)
The average private rent in Darlington is £686 a month (ONS, July 2026) and the average house price £158,188 (HM Land Registry, June 2026): a gross yield of 5.2%, ranked 57 of 316 local authorities.
Rent in Darlington
The average private rent across all property types is £686 a month (+6.2% on a year earlier). The regional median in the North East is £702.
| Property | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £494 | £5,928 a year |
| 2 bedrooms | £626 | £7,512 a year |
| 3 bedrooms | £762 | £9,144 a year |
| 4+ bedrooms | £1,087 | £13,044 a year |
The bedroom ladder in Darlington: one to two bedrooms adds 26.7% to the rent, two to three adds 21.7% and three to four-plus adds 42.7% (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 Darlington
The average price paid is £158,188 (+3.8% on a year earlier).
| Type | Average price |
|---|---|
| Detached | £280,470 |
| Semi-detached | £174,223 |
| Terraced | £127,724 |
| Flat | £95,115 |
Rents are outrunning prices in Darlington. Rents moved +6.2% over the year against +3.8% for prices — a gap of 2.4 points that lifts the gross yield a buyer sees today. Darlington ranks 56th of 316 local authorities for rent growth and 120th of 316 for price growth; the England-and-Wales medians are +3.8% and +2.8%.
Gross yield by property type in Darlington
| Type | Rent / month | Average price | Gross yield | E&W median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £626 | £95,115 | 7.9% | 7.5% |
| Terraced house | £762 | £127,724 | 7.2% | 5.7% |
| Semi-detached | £762 | £174,223 | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| Detached | £1,087 | £280,470 | 4.7% | 4.1% |
On these pairings the strongest gross yield in Darlington is on flats at 7.9%, 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 5.2% (rent × 12 ÷ price) — rank 57 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 £20,580 a year for the average rent.
- EPC before 2030: 41% of EPCs lodged in Darlington over the last year were below band C — the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 — with 36% at D (EPC ratings in Darlington).
- Council tax: Band D in Darlington is £2,494 for 2026/27, and the council charges a 100% second-home premium (council tax in Darlington).
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 £686 supports a loan of about £103,223, which is 65.3% 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 Darlington
- Yield calculator with £158,188 and £686 already filled in
- Mortgage stress test at 75% LTV on the average price
- Rent affordability: the income a tenant needs to reference at £686 a month
- Rental income tax on £8,232 a year of rent
Nearest neighbours by yield, in the North East
| Area | Rent | Price | Yield | Rent 12m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | £704 | £143,216 | 5.9% | +4.6% |
| County Durham | £645 | £138,148 | 5.6% | +6% |
| South Tyneside | £737 | £161,372 | 5.5% | +6.9% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £735 | £170,923 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
| Hartlepool | £556 | £130,271 | 5.1% | −0.5% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | £643 | £153,205 | 5% | +1.2% |
All 316 areas ranked · council tax in Darlington · EPC ratings in Darlington.
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
£686 a month across all property types (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026), up 6.2% on a year earlier.
£158,188 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, June 2026).
About 5.2% gross on the averages — £686 rent against a £158,188 price — ranking 57 of 316 local authorities. Net yield depends on your mortgage and costs.
Flats on our pairing: 7.9% gross (£626 rent on a £95,115 price), against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type.
Rents +6.2% against prices +3.8% over the year — rents ahead, so yield is rising for a buyer today.
Referencing at 30 times the monthly rent points to roughly £20,580 a year of household income for the average home; the affordability calculator shows 24× and 36× too.
Postcode districts in Darlington
Council tax bands, sold prices and build periods for each district — all DL postcodes.