Landlords have ended the year on a high, according to new figures, as buy-to-let returns reached impressive and in some cases unprecedented levels. With demand for leased accommodation continuing to grow, statistics showed that rents rose by six per cent over the final quarter of the year and by 17 per cent over 2007 as a whole to a new record high of £11,300 on average. This meant that, despite house prices climbing by 15.3 per cent over the past 12 months, rental yields stayed steady at around the six per cent mark, while total returns reached 21 per cent - the highest they have been in over two years