Average Rent, House Prices and Buy-to-Let Yield in Lewes (July 2026)
The average private rent in Lewes is £1,325 a month (ONS, July 2026) and the average house price £367,918 (HM Land Registry, June 2026): a gross yield of 4.3%, ranked 179 of 316 local authorities.
Rent in Lewes
The average private rent across all property types is £1,325 a month (+6.1% on a year earlier). The regional median in the South East is £1,355.
| Property | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | £919 | £11,028 a year |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,209 | £14,508 a year |
| 3 bedrooms | £1,497 | £17,964 a year |
| 4+ bedrooms | £2,158 | £25,896 a year |
The bedroom ladder in Lewes: one to two bedrooms adds 31.6% to the rent, two to three adds 23.8% 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 Lewes
The average price paid is £367,918 (+1.7% on a year earlier).
| Type | Average price |
|---|---|
| Detached | £591,548 |
| Semi-detached | £398,016 |
| Terraced | £323,093 |
| Flat | £198,184 |
Rents are outrunning prices in Lewes. Rents moved +6.1% over the year against +1.7% for prices — a gap of 4.4 points that lifts the gross yield a buyer sees today. Lewes ranks 61st of 316 local authorities for rent growth and 206th of 316 for price growth; the England-and-Wales medians are +3.8% and +2.8%.
Gross yield by property type in Lewes
| Type | Rent / month | Average price | Gross yield | E&W median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £1,209 | £198,184 | 7.3% | 7.5% |
| Terraced house | £1,497 | £323,093 | 5.6% | 5.7% |
| Semi-detached | £1,497 | £398,016 | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Detached | £2,158 | £591,548 | 4.4% | 4.1% |
On these pairings the strongest gross yield in Lewes is on flats at 7.3%, 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 4.3% (rent × 12 ÷ price) — rank 179 of 316 local authorities; the regional median is 4.3%. Net yield is lower once mortgage interest, insurance, maintenance and voids come off.
- Tenant affordability: referencing at 30× means a household income of about £39,750 a year for the average rent.
- EPC before 2030: 46% of EPCs lodged in Lewes over the last year were below band C — the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 — with 35% at D (EPC ratings in Lewes).
- Council tax: Band D in Lewes is £2,756 for 2026/27, and the council charges a 100% second-home premium (council tax in Lewes).
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 £1,325 supports a loan of about £199,373, which is 54.2% 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 Lewes
- Yield calculator with £367,918 and £1,325 already filled in
- Mortgage stress test at 75% LTV on the average price
- Rent affordability: the income a tenant needs to reference at £1,325 a month
- Rental income tax on £15,900 a year of rent
Nearest neighbours by yield, in the South East
| Area | Rent | Price | Yield | Rent 12m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge and Malling | £1,484 | £405,932 | 4.4% | +3.3% |
| Fareham | £1,189 | £328,364 | 4.3% | +1.7% |
| Ashford | £1,246 | £344,332 | 4.3% | +3.4% |
| Havant | £1,146 | £320,643 | 4.3% | +2.3% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | £1,307 | £368,739 | 4.3% | +2% |
| Tandridge | £1,634 | £475,344 | 4.1% | +3.9% |
All 316 areas ranked · council tax in Lewes · EPC ratings in Lewes.
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
£1,325 a month across all property types (ONS Price Index of Private Rents, July 2026), up 6.1% on a year earlier.
£367,918 (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, June 2026).
About 4.3% gross on the averages — £1,325 rent against a £367,918 price — ranking 179 of 316 local authorities. Net yield depends on your mortgage and costs.
Flats on our pairing: 7.3% gross (£1,209 rent on a £198,184 price), against an England-and-Wales median of 7.5% for that type.
Rents +6.1% against prices +1.7% over the year — rents ahead, so yield is rising for a buyer today.
Referencing at 30 times the monthly rent points to roughly £39,750 a year of household income for the average home; the affordability calculator shows 24× and 36× too.