How much does a garden add to the price of rent in the UK?

As summer approaches and lockdown restrictions begin to ease in the UK, Brits will be spending an increasing amount of time socialising in their gardens with friends and family.

One of the first restrictions to be eased in every lockdown has been the opportunity for households to mix in private gardens. For many across the country, this has been welcomed, but it also poses an unfortunate restriction on those who do not have a house with a garden.

This has led to many wondering how much value a garden really adds to the price of a home in the UK.

How much extra does a house with a garden cost to rent?

To understand the amount a garden adds to the price of renting a home across the UK, we conducted research into the average price of renting a three-bedroom home with and without a garden in cities across the country.

To gather the data, we analysed the rental prices of hundreds of homes on RightMove to assess which city in the UK renters are paying the most for their backyard.

The results can be found below:

City	Average price to rent	Average price with a garden	Additional Value of garden
Bath	£975.00	£1,395.50	43.13%
Lancashire	£589.00	£795.00	34.97%
Birmingham	£764.00	£1,014.00	32.72%
London	£2,898.20	£3,682.80	27.07%
Leeds	£928.50	£1,160.80	25.02%
Wolverhampton	£697.50	£867.00	24.30%
Reading	£1,221.00	£1,500.00	22.85%
Newcastle Upon Tyne	£647.00	£779.50	20.48%
Norwich	£950.00	£1,137.30	19.72%
Portsmouth	£1,061.50	1,263.50	19.03%
Plymouth	£690.50	£816.60	18.26%
Coventry	£768.00	£902.00	17.45%
Manchester	£867.00	£1,011.50	16.67%
Glasgow	£974.00	£1,111.50	14.12%
Bristol	£1,207.50	£1,375.00	13.87%
Stoke-on-Trent	£598.00	£676.00	13.04%
Swansea	£842.00	£947.00	12.47%
Nottingham	£699.00	£756.50	8.23%
Edinburgh	£1,386.50	£1,466.00	5.73%
Luton	£1,049.00	£1,107.00	5.53%
Derby	£808.50	£852.50	5.44%
Sunderland	£556.50	£586.00	5.30%
Southampton	£1,067.50	£1,118.50	4.78%
Bradford	£658.00	£686.50	4.33%
Northampton	£1,183.20	£1,227.00	3.70%
Cardiff	£988.00	£1,015.50	2.78%
Liverpool	£683.10	£694.40	1.65%
Leicester	£797.00	£806.50	1.19%
Sheffield	£737.00	£742.50	0.75%
Kingston Upon Hull	£619.00	£622.00	0.48%

What do the results show?

Our research shows that in every city we analysed, renting a home with a garden is more expensive. On average, houses with gardens were found to command rent that was 15% more expensive than those without a garden.

However, our research also shows that the value a garden will add to a home changes drastically depending on where in the UK you are renting. Those renting in Bath see the largest rise in rental prices when looking for a home with a garden, with this adding 43% to the price of rent in the city.

Discussing the garden space in Bath, Jason Bull, Chief Operating Officer of easyProperty said:

"Garden space in Bath is a luxury. Many houses in the centre of Bath often have very small or no gardens at all, so this result doesn’t surprise us. We’ve seen an increase in interest for garden and outdoor space in properties since the pandemic as home life has come sharply into focus for more people."

"Garden space in Bath is a luxury. Many houses in the centre of Bath often have very small or no gardens at all, so this result doesn’t surprise us. We’ve seen an increase in interest for garden and outdoor space in properties since the pandemic as home life has come sharply into focus for more people."

"Landlords can see gardens as a problem when it comes to letting out their properties. Not all renters are garden shy. In fact many love gardening. Just make sure the tenant has everything they need to keep the garden tidy, and that things like paving, the shed and lawns are in a good state of repair, and you’ll attract any green fingered tenant keen to keep things looking green and lush."

In second place is Lancashire which had one of the lowest average rental prices of all the cities we analysed. The data shows that renting a house in Lancashire with a garden adds 35% to the price, demonstrating that gardens boost the letting value in Lancashire by more than one-third.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the data showed renting a home in London with a garden increases the value by over a quarter (27%). This places gardens in the capital city as the fourth highest value in the UK, according to our research.

The research showed gardens in Yorkshire vary in price. For those in Leeds, gardens add 25% more value to a home, whereas for those in Bradford, the value is just 4%. Gardens in the green city of Sheffield at the second least highest value out of the study, with just 0.75% of a difference in price for those with and without a green space.

When comparing properties in Kingston Upon Hull, we found this port city comes in last place. Gardens add just 0.48% to the value of a home in Hull, perhaps down to the location of the city, with gardens being more common for residents than for other cities included in the research.

What did the experts say?

Cass Heaphy, Digital Director at Paving Direct said:

"Homes in the centre of cities like Bath and Birmingham do not always have a garden, which can drastically increase the price of houses which do benefit from a green space. With the impact of lockdown, we’ve seen demand for paving jump. People have been spending an increasing amount of time in their own homes and want to make the most of their outdoor space."

"The data here shows just how much value a garden can add to a house and why homeowners need to be making the most of their outside space. Likewise, landlords need to be aware of the opportunity cost of upgrading the garden in their properties, as it can add real value, and higher income."

"I think one of the key things to come out of the whole lockdown experience for many people is really valuing their garden. It has underscored our appreciation of all the benefits it provides to happiness, health and well being. That appreciation is only going to increase demand and therefore, more value, to homes with gardens or outdoor spaces."

Daniel Bunting, Estate Agent at Apropos commented:

"From my own stock of managed properties I have noticed that smaller flats and houses with no outside space have received much less interest than usual. Properties with lots of natural light have done well but properties with outside space have seen increases in rent of up to 10% more than equivalent properties without outside space. This is clearly due to people spending more time at home and being restricted on travel."

"We live in a country with high population density so having some outside space to call your own I think is more important here than other countries. Also we are more limited on suitable weather for being outside so we want to make the most of it when the weather is good."

3 tips on sprucing up your garden this summer

1. Try not to see it as a chore

Doing up your garden can have significant benefits for your physical and mental health. If you are new to gardening, try to focus on keeping things tidy, adding plants in pots and troughs to keep things easy to look after. Keeping on top of your grass and weeding will ensure your garden doesn’t get out of control, and sealing your natural stone paving will keep it beautiful through every season.

2. Incorporate furniture and shelter

Investing in furniture for your garden can make a big difference to the space. It will make it far easier for you to host friends and family as lockdown restrictions ease and help to avoid you lugging chairs in and out of your home.

3. Try your hand at growing vegetables

If you are looking for something to spruce up your garden and a project to keep you busy, we recommend investing time into growing fruit and vegetables this year. This will add another dimension to your garden and provide the nutrients you need right to your doorstep.