It is the first time in eight months that rents have fallen on a monthly basis, according to the buy to let index from the UK’s largest lettings agent networks, Your Move and Reeds Rains.
However, despite the month on month fall rents are 2% higher than a year ago, or £15 higher than November 2013. Also, the East of England, the East Midlands and London have actually posted new all-time record rents.
The firm says that the fall follows the usual seasonal trend as landlords keen not to have vacant property over the colder months reduce rents to attract tenants.
A breakdown of the figures show that five out of 10 regions have seen lower rents in November than in October with the South East seeing rents fall by 2.1% drop, the North West down 1.2% and the North East down 0.6%.
By contrast, the East Midlands has defied the overall trend, seeing rents increase by 1.7% between October and November. This monthly change is four times faster than experienced in both London and the neighbouring East of England, both of which saw rents rise 0.4% on a monthly basis.
Despite monthly dips, rents in eight out of 10 regions remain higher than in November 2013, with one other region seeing no significant change.
Far above the overall average, three neighbouring regions stand out on an annual basis. Rents in the East of England have grown by 6.7% since November 2013. This is followed by 5.5% in the East Midlands and 3.9% in the West Midlands.
At the other end of the spectrum, rents in the South West are now 0.2% lower than in November 2013, the only region to see a fall while the North West has seen zero rental inflation over the last twelve months.
The index also shows that the gross rental yield on a typical rental property in England and Wales now stands at 5.1% as of November, the same as in October 2014, but a 0.3% drop from last year, when yields in November 2013 stood at 5.4%.
However, alongside this stability, total returns improved in November. Taking into account price growth and void periods between tenants, but before costs such as mortgage repayments or maintenance, total annual returns on an average rental property are 12.8% over the 12 months to November. This compares to 12.7% over the 12 months ending October 2014.
In absolute terms this means the average landlord in England and Wales has seen a return, before deductions such as mortgage payments and maintenance, of £21,512 over the last twelve months. Within this figure rental income makes up £8,305 while the average capital gain amounts to £13,207.
‘Property prices have shifted to a more sustainable pattern and that is only a good thing for landlords, just as it is for those looking to buy their own home. Rental income is also steady with average gross yields hovering just above their long term 5% average for over a year now,’ said David Newnes, director of estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move.
‘This makes buy to let a haven from the insecurity stalking other investments although careful attention to detail, local knowledge and an eye for cash flow on areas like maintenance are always essential ingredients in realising the best possible return on any investment,’ he added.
Arrears are not falling. As of November, 7.5% of all rent was in arrears, up from 6.9% in October and above the record low for tenant arrears of 6.6% recorded in November 2013. However, even after November’s slight deterioration, rent arrears remain considerably lower than in previous years, since peaking at 14.6% in February 2010.
In absolute terms November saw £266 million in outstanding late rent, up from £244 million in October and £228 million in November 2013.
‘British households have finally seen wage growth beat inflation for a couple of months in a row. Households now have more to spend than a year ago and those few extra pounds in the pocket always matter,’ explained Newnes.
‘Tumbling unemployment is now complemented by this well awaited growth in the amount people can earn once they do find a job and looking back, an improving employment picture has already had an enormous impact on the long-term trend for tenant arrears,’ he said.
‘As a whole, 2014 has been remarkably positive in terms of the affordability of renting which is just as positive a note to end the year on for landlords as for tenants themselves,’ he added.
