Taylor Scott International News
Landlords in the UK expect rent rises to slow over the next 12 months to below the target rate of inflation, according to a the latest survey from lettings agent network Your Move and Reeds Rains. On average, landlords estimate that rents will increase by 1.8% in the next year. This is lower than the Bank of England’s 2% target for inflation, and would also represent a slowdown on the current pace of annual rent growth. The latest Buy to Let Index from Your Move and Reeds Rains reported that average residential rents across the UK are rising at an annual rate of 2.4%. The majority of landlords polled do not intend to raise their rents in the next year, however 43% expect to raise rents and of those 57% cite covering the cost of inflation as their main motivation. Paying for maintenance work is the second most significant reason, listed by 31% of landlords. Over the last six months, 41% of landlords report seeing a rise in tenant demand. This comes as lettings activity has been growing, with new tenancies agreed across England and Wales up by 6.9% compared to August 2013. Tenant demand has helped reduce average void periods in the private rented sector, ensuring greater stability of income for landlords. In the past year, 18% of landlords have already added to their portfolio of rental properties. This appears to be inspiring confidence among property investors with 21% of landlords believing that now is a good time to invest in buy to let. Of those who report it is currently a prime time to purchase a rental property, 55% cited tenant demand as a key motivation for investment. Attractive property prices are the second biggest driver, reported by 54% of landlords, while 45% pointed to better capital returns on offer compared to other forms of investment. The proportion of landlords who expect tenant demand to increase further now stands at 63%, up from 56% in January. Only 5% of landlords currently anticipate a fall in demand for rental properties over the coming years. As a result, 22% of landlords intend to expand their portfolio over the coming year, an increase from 18% in January 2014. ‘Demand for rented accommodation is climbing, and there’s little sign of this stopping. While Help to Buy and higher LTV lending are enabling first time buyer activity, strong house price growth this year has lifted homeownership a few steps out of reach for many, and the private rented sector remains the safety net supporting those still saving for a deposit. This is in addition to the thousands of people who rely on renting to offer them flexibility and freedom in their working lives,’ said David Newnes, director of Your Move and Reeds Rains. ‘This demand is also powering more supply. Secure house prices and spirited tenant demand are encouraging budding buy to let investors and existing landlords to add to the number of available homes to… Taylor Scott International
Taylor Scott International, Taylor Scott
