Will Rental Prices Continue To Rise?

We’ve seen rises in the cost of food, fuel and energy recently, but this may not be the end of it for renters. It seems that rents are also set to continue going up in 2022.

What’s happening with rents at the moment?

Since the end of 2021, rental prices have been on the increase. In the 12 months to March 2022, private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK increased by 2.4%, which is the most significant annual growth rate since July 2016.

London is the exception to the recent increase in rent prices, with private rental rates increasing by 0.4%. So if you exclude London, national rental prices across the rest of the country increased by 3.3% during that period.

What’s causing the rise in rents?

The rise in rents is driven by two key factors: a rise in demand for rental properties; and not enough supply to meet the demand. Both the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) report a growing demand for rental properties.

This is an ongoing trend, as the Rightmove rental price tracer for Q4 of 2021 reported:

· Tenant demand is 32% higher than the same time the previous year
· The number of available properties is 51% lower than the same period in the previous year
· Competition between tenants for available properties is at 94%, compared to the same time the previous year

With demand for rental homes increasing by 76% in the New Year period of 2022, compared with the same time in 2018 to 2021, there seems to be no let-up in sight.

What happens next?

Rightmove predicts rents will rise by 5% in 2022 as the struggle between supply and demand continues, whilst Zoopla predicts a rent rise by 4.5% across the UK in 2022, excluding London, where the surge is likely to be a little lower, at 3.5%.

Renting dynamics are expected to change over the coming months as city workers return to the office and want to relocate near their workplaces to avoid commuting. Students return to their places of study, including many from overseas.

Tenants who remained in situ during the pandemic may also be looking to make the move they had put off.

The rental market is expected to move quickly over the coming year, and competition for properties will be fierce. Renters need to move rapidly to secure the property they want. Yet, they could also face the additional challenge of increasing living costs that will squeeze their budgets. This means that many renters will have to reassess what they can afford.

High demand should mean landlords can secure a good return on their rental properties and reduce empty periods. However, it’s still important to maintain properties to a good standard if they want to attract their ideal tenants.

No Letting Go

If you would like to discuss how our local support and national networks at No Letting Go can help you to secure the tenants you want by acting as your inventory partner while streamlining your costs and reducing your workload, then contact No Letting Go today.