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Official figures show rent increases in Scotland are largely below inflation
Between 2010 and 2014 most average rents in Scotland increased below the rate of inflation, with some rents falling, the latest data from the Scottish Government shows. In particular, a total of 16 out of the 18 rental market areas across Scotland have seen below inflation changes in average rents for two bedroom properties, the most common size of property in the private rented sector. Some areas of the country have seen higher increases over these years, including Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire where average rents for all property sizes have increased well above inflation. In Lothian increases for one, two and three bedroom properties have been above inflation. A breakdown of the figures show that the city of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has seen the highest increase in private rents for two bedroom properties from 2010 to 2014, with average monthly rents rising by 39.8% over four years. Average rents in the Lothian area have risen by a cumulative 17.2% over the last four years, whilst rents in Greater Glasgow have increased by 11.1% and rents in Fife have risen by 9.8% over this time period. For the remaining areas of Scotland, cumulative increases over the last four years have ranged from 5.7% in the Highlands and Islands to 0.6% in the Scottish Borders. In addition, three areas of the country have seen cumulative decreases in average rents from 2010 to 2014 with the Ayrshires seeing an 0.8% fall, Argyll and Bute a 1.5% fall, and West Dunbartonshire a 2.7% fall. These regional trends combine to show an 11.2% cumulative increase in average rents from 2010 to 2014 for 2 bedroom properties at the Scotland level. For the latest year the annual increase has been 3.6%. The data also shows that over the four year period, average rents for two bedroom properties in the Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the Lothian areas have risen faster than the consumer price index, whilst changes in average rents for two bedroom properties in other areas of the country have been below the rise in the consumer price index. For the year to the end of September 2014, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire had the highest average monthly rents for two bedroom properties across Scotland at £898 per month. Other areas with higher rents included Lothian at £779, Greater Glasgow at £626, and East Dunbartonshire at £604. Areas with the lowest average rents for two bedroom properties included North Lanarkshire at £464, the Ayrshires at £461, the Scottish Borders at £444, and Dumfries and Galloway at £442. The data is from the first Private Sector Rent Statistics report is a result of a Scottish Government commitment to publishing more comprehensive statistics on rent levels across the country. ‘These statistics highlight wide variations in the rate of rent increases, with hotspots in the Lothian area and in Aberdeen, but modest rises, or even falls elsewhere. This is clearly good news for those tenants whose rents have risen at or below the rate of inflation, but a real problem for those affected by… Continue reading
Asking prices in London push up averages in the UK as a whole, latest index shows
Property asking prices in London are still increasing and have helped push up the average prices of a UK home for the tenth month in a row, according to the latest index figures. Overall average asking prices increased by 0.2% in October and 8.2% year on year, taking the average asking price to £267,466. But outside of London home prices fell in all English regions except the East Midlands and the South East, Scotland and Wales. The Asking Price Index from Home.co.uk says that coupled with last month’s rise of 1.1% it puts London back on a rising trend following a dip in the summer which it says was caused by a correction in prime property prices. The supply of property for sale in Greater London is up by 54% compared to October last year but the typical London property is now 15% more expensive. But excluding London, the UK property market is cooling in line with seasonal expectations, the index report says. Prices are edging back in most regions after what was a solid year, especially in the South but prices continue to stagnate in the North. The worst performing region over the last six months has been the North East with a fall of 0.9% since May. The firm describes this as ‘a very poor performance’ for what has been the best year for UK property prices since the onset of the financial crisis. Wales, the North West and Scotland are not much better and only just managed to keep in positive territory. ‘Within those areas, it is only the more upmarket locations that are supporting the regional averages,’ the report explains. Across the UK, supply of property for sale is steadily increasing but remains historically low. The number of properties that entered the market last month was 14% higher than during October 2013. ‘Areas of great demand, such as London, will be less sensitive to rising demand, while Scotland, which has a much weaker property market, has registered an annual rise of 18% in the number of properties for sale. This will likely thwart further price rises in 2015 north of the border,’ the report points out. ‘In Wales and the other English regions, we have observed only minor increases in the volume of sales properties coming onto the market,’ it adds. The data also shows that the average mix-adjusted 12 month change in asking prices for England and Wales reached a maximum in June at 9.6% and this is steadily falling back. The average year on year price change trend for England and Wales reflects an end to the accelerating price growth observed over most of the last two years. The firm says that annualised gains are being eroded in the current cooler market, and it expects this gentle downtrend to continue into 2015. Continue reading
Average residential tenancy deposit in England and Wales up 11% year on year
The value of deposits for the average home tenancy in England and Wales has increased by 11% over the last year, according to the latest published data. They average amount protected by mydeposits now stands at £1,210 up £121 from this time last year and up 1% from the second quarter of 2014, the firm’s latest tenancy deposit digest shows. The figures also show a difference of £1,266 between the average cost of deposits in the most expensive and cheapest regions in England and Wales. London stays at the top of the most expensive average deposit paid by tenants around the UK in the third quarter of the year with £1,859 on average being spent in the capital, a 9.8% increase from this time last year. The research also shows a 5.6% quarterly increase in London while the cheapest region for average deposit is the same as the second quarter with Yorkshire and The Humber on average spending £593. The South East saw the greatest monetary increase in deposit values quarter on quarter with a rise of 20.3%, however the North East has witnessed a growth in average deposit of 37.7% which is the biggest proportional growth across England and Wales. The East Midlands and the North West are the only two regions not to have seen a quarterly rise while the East Midlands saw the biggest fall of 9.3% which is subsequently more than double the amount in the North West where deposits fell by 3.7%. Deposits in the South West have risen similar to that of London year on year at 19.3% which is the biggest proportional growth across all the regions over the 12 months. The East of England saw the only drop in deposit value and growth with a fall of 0.3%. Despite deposits in the East Midlands growing at a similar rate to London over the last 12 months, the average value of deposits is three times more in the capital reflecting the higher overall cost of living in London. ‘Since the start of Tenancy Deposit Protection in 2007 the cost of the average deposit has risen by around 40%, and much like the cost of rents, deposits continue to rise year on year,’ said Eddie Hooker, chief executive officer of mydeposits. ‘The deposit value is usually tagged to the rental cost of the property, typically between four to six weeks’ worth of rent, so the only real way to relieve some of the pressures on the rental market is to tackle the huge issue of undersupply of housing in the UK at present,’ he explained. ‘It will be one of the biggest challenges for the next elected government, so it’s concerning to see that not all political parties have ironed out the details of their housing manifesto pledges in build-up to next May’s general election,’ he added. Continue reading
