Rising rents benefit buy-to-let landlords

Rents rose 0.7% to £820pcm this month, the second consecutive month of rising asking rents, which are now £16pcm higher than in January. The annual rate of decline has also reduced, with the year-on-year change now standing at just -0.8%.

While rents are still a long way off the peak seen in early 2008, they are slowly rising and the current tightening supply levels as accidental landlords leave the market coupled with strong demand should ensure that returns for serious landlords continue to improve over the course of the year.