The rental market continues to do well with a rise of almost 20 per cent in the last three months.  Figures from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) says that the sharp rise in demand has, in part, been the cause of an increase in rental returns.  Almost two thirds of letting agents (excluding London) report that tenant demand exceeds the supply of properties on their books.
        
Void periods remain short - around four weeks or less a year - and tenants are remaining in properties for longer.  The average length of a tenancy now is almost 17 months.  Rents have increased moderately over the last six months.

Commenting on the latest figures, Ian Potter, ARLA's Head of Operations said, "This steady rise in rental growth that we see yet again, coupled to clear evidence that there is no unusual selling, proves once again that the credit crunch effect on the private rented sector exists only in
the imagination. This is underlined by the short void periods and length of time that tenants stay in rental properties."