15:28 PM, 15th August 2017, About 7 years ago
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Property franchise Belvoir, which has over 300 offices, has published its Q2 rental index, indicating a year on year increase in average rents of just over 2.75%, from £730 in Q2 2016 to £751 in Q2 2017.
Comparing the Q2 2017 average to the 2016 annual average of £783, this indicates rental increases of just under 2% – a figure that is in line with ONS statistics and other reputable rental indexes.
The latest data shows rents range from £597 in the North West, £665 in Yorkshire, through to £1048 in the South East and £1,446 per month in London.
In London, the average rent recorded in Q2 2017 was £1454 (excluding Central London), which is an increase of 4.5% compared to Q2 2016. Q2 2017 versus the 2016 annual average of £1511 shows a fall in rents of around -4%. For London, during Q2 2017, half of the offices recorded a slight fall in rents and half recorded slight increases.
Around 40% of offices In the South East experienced a slight rise in rents during Q2 2017, whilst 40% recorded slight falls and 20% experienced static rents. Three quarters of offices in the South West experienced a decline in rents during Q2 2017, with the remaining quarter recording slight increases. This pattern continued in East Anglia, Yorkshire and the East Midlands where half of offices recorded small rental increases and the remaining offices experienced slight falls.
In the North West, just over two thirds of offices experienced slight increases during Q2 2017, and just under a third experienced slight falls with stable rents in remaining offices.
Commenting on the Belvoir Q2 rental index, CEO Dorian Gonsalves said: “Belvoir’s statistics, which show an average rise of 2.75% are very much in line with other reputable rental indexes, and that of the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
“Sensationalist media reports that rents are spiralling out of control across the country are at odds with what our offices are reporting, and that other letting agents across the country are currently experiencing. However, feedback from our franchisees confirmed that less properties were seeing static rents than in the previous quarter, and more offices experienced rent rises of £25 and £50 per month.
“Belvoir’s rental index began in 2009 and is an extremely valuable resource, which analyses the ups and downs of the rental market not just at national level, but regionally and at county level. We are also tracking tenant demand, length of tenancies, arrears and evictions with predictions for rental demand in the next quarter.
‘Our rental trend predictions for different rental sectors in Q3 are that families and professionals are most likely to experience rent rises. Demand from tenants on benefits saw the biggest increase versus Q1 and therefore rents are expected to rise for this sector. Two to three bed properties remain in demand and are in short supply.
“Although we are not currently seeing a huge exit of landlords from the market it is apparent that landlords are beginning to sell their properties. Most agents expect investor enquiries to remain the same, or to fall, especially for room rents. Average void periods for one week remain the same, although there has been an increase in two-week voids
“The majority of tenants are staying in their properties for longer, with almost half choosing to stay for 13-18 months, and over 36% staying for up to two years. Importantly, over 80% of Belvoir offices carried out no or just one evictions during Q2 2017, This is a good indication of how well our referencing and property management systems are performing and highlights the importance of tenants choosing a reputable agent when renting their home.
“Almost 70% of Belvoir agents believe the government has under-estimated how many landlords will be affected by the changes to mortgage interest relief, and we look forward to the results of our Q3 rental index with interest.”
Belvoir’s Q2 rental index is produced by property expert Kate Faulkner and can be viewed in full on the Belvoir website – https://www.belvoir.co.uk/belvoir-rental-index
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