Rents to keep rising, says RICS

Rents rose further in the three months to April, as fresh tenant demand continued to exceed new instructions, says the latest RICS Residential Lettings Survey (February - April 2012). 13 percent more chartered surveyors reported rents rose rather than fell in the three months to April. This growth was largely driven by increasing demand as a net balance of 15 percent more respondents reported rises in prospective tenants, with houses in greater demand than flats. The supply of property to the market continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace, with seven percent more surveyors reporting increases rather than decreases in landlords looking to let their properties. Rental values are steadily increasing and landlords' gross yields also continued to grow during the early part of the year, although the pace of growth has begun to slow. This was the case in every part of the UK with the exception of London where tenant demand also saw a slight downturn. Looking ahead, surveyors remain positive that the market will remain buoyant over the next three months, with 13 per cent more predicting rents will rise rather than fall. Across the UK, all areas expect rents to continue to increase with the exception of Scotland where expectations entered negative territory for the first time since October 2009. Peter Bolton King, RICS Global Residential Director, commented: "The rental market is still fairly buoyant and this looks likely to continue, given the challenges facing the sales market. "This points to tenant demand continuing to outpace supply. As a result, rents will remain on an upward trajectory, adding to the pressure on many households whose incomes are already being squeezed." May 25, 2012