Rents rise at a slower pace

Rental prices continued to increase at double-figure rates on an annual basis, and are now 10.5 per cent higher than a year ago, led by gains in the South East of England and East Anglia, the latest findings from the HomeLet Rental Index show. The pace of rent rises slowed and in some regions retracted over the three months to August 2015, compared to the previous three-month period. Nevertheless, the average UK rent on new tenancies increased by 1.6 per cent in the three months to August 2015, compared to a rise of 2.2 per cent for the three months to July and June 2015. Overall rent price increases are still running ahead of inflation and house price growth, with the Index showing that average UK rents for new tenancies over the three months to August 2015 stood at £992 per month. The most expensive rents are to be found in London, where the average rent on a new tenancy reached £1,558 per month during the three months to August 2015, up from £1,538 per month in the three months to July 2015. On an annualised basis, only the North West of England reported lower rents for new tenancies in…