The Valuation Office Agency’s rent officers are responsible for collecting lettings information in England.
The more information we collect, the more reliable local and national rental statistics will be. These statistics might help you to make your next investment decision or provide reassurance to banks and lending organisations. They also support policy making and make sure that decisions are based on accurate data.
Stuart Stone, Rent Officer and Stakeholder Manager, explains how sharing data about your rental properties can help to build a more accurate picture of the private rented sector.
The information we collect
Valuation Office Agency (VOA) rent officers depend on the goodwill and trust of landlords, letting agents and tenants who provide details of rents being paid in the private rented sector.
This data forms a unique database representing rents paid in England. It makes sure that our information is based on actual lettings, not advertised rents. Our database also includes new rents, renewal rents and price changes so that we can track trends across the whole market.
We aim to collect data from:
- a range of sources, from individual landlords with a single property, to agents with large portfolios
- a range of property types and sizes, from single rooms to large, detached houses
- a variety of tenancies (including new, renewal and periodic tenancies)
- across every area in England.
Why your information matters
When you contribute details of rents being paid it makes a real difference. You help to improve the accuracy of data that has an impact beyond your own portfolio, local community and region. The data is used to:
- set Local Housing Allowance and Housing Benefit, which help private tenants pay their rent
- produce official rent level private rental market statistics
- publish the monthly Index of Private Housing Rental Prices (IPHRP), which measures regional and national changes in rent prices
- support research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), such as changes in private rental sector behaviour
- develop new private rental statistics, which can be compared over time and down to lower geographic level
- calculate all three measures of consumer price inflation:
- the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- the Consumer Prices Index including housing costs (CPIH)
- the Retail Price Index (RPI).
National inflation measures affect every person in the UK, through:
- loans
- mortgages
- investments
- pensions
- benefits.
How to get involved
If you are a landlord with one or a few properties, you can complete our online form to contribute details of rent levels.
If you have a larger portfolio or are an agent, you may be able to contribute directly using your own software. To discuss the easiest way for you to get involved, contact us by emailing roli@voa.gov.uk.
How we use your information
The VOA will only use your information in the way described in our Rent Officer Functions privacy notice and following data protection law.
We will not share your information with anyone else, unless it is lawful to do so.