Fierce Competition Sees Rents Soar In Central London

Rents have continued to soar in the capital's most desirable areas, fuelled by growing demand for properties to rent in central London, owed in part to a high level of fierce competition from frustrated would-be home buyers struggling to gain a foot on the housing ladder.

The typical rent in London rose by 6.2 per cent in February compared with a year earlier, according to the data from lettings network LSL Property Services - which owns chains such as Your Move and Reeds Rains.

The hike in rental values is largely due to the lack of homes on the market in relation to demand.

LSL director David Newnes said: "In the longer-term, the supply of rental homes will have to increase considerably to prevent monthly rent rises when the rental market re-enters its traditional peak season."

The property shortage in the rental market is owed mainly to a lack of house building, while many foreigners, who make up a significant share of those buyers taking advantage of attractive flats and houses for sale in central London, generally opt not to rent their homes out. 

"Wealthy foreign buyers who own properties in these areas [central London] rarely rent them out. This has cut the pool of homes available to renters and contributed to sharp rental prices increases," said Ludlow Thompson director Stephen Ludlow.

New research by Ludlow Thompson shows that the average cost of primarily located flats and houses to rent in central London has now soared past the £5,000 per month mark.

                          

New data published by Ludlow Thompson reveals that rents in SW1, which includes the elite enclaves of Belgravia and Knightsbridge, are the highest, averaging £6,171 a month. This is followed by W1, which covers Mayfair, Marylebone and Soho, where rents are £5,493, while rents in Chelsea, SW3, have reached £5,442.

The success of the prime central London property market over the last five years is creating plenty of fresh buy-to-let investment opportunities, according to leading estate agents Sandfords.

The company is bullish on the private rented sector, pointing to the latest census figures that show the rising generation is moving to city centres to live.

"They [people] cannot afford to buy and are increasingly deciding to rent long-term," said Sandfords Director, Andrew Ellinas.

He added: "The predicted capital growth in prime central London combined with the rental growth caused by the high demand and relatively low supply is a clear investment opportunity."

The success of the housing market in central London is likely to have a positive knock-on effect on the wider property market in the capital, particularly in those secondary areas on the edge of central London, such as St John's Wood, Regent's Park and Primrose Hill.

Brendan Cox, Managing Director of Waterfords estate agents, commented: "There is no doubt that London has to be one of the top investment destinations for anyone looking for a safe-haven asset right now."

As rents soar and deposits to buy property become even further out of reach, the government needs to look seriously at how it can help more people buy property in central London, such as make housing more affordable. In the meantime, landlords will continue to reap the rewards of existing market conditions.

Golden opportunity to invest in property

With more people now disillusioned with pensions, stocks and shares often fluctuating like a very big rollercoaster, with more downs than ups in recent years, and savers receiving dismally low returns from banks and building societies, more people have opted to invest in gold in recent years, which has been regarded as a safe place to preserve wealth. But this could be changing, according to leading Maida Vale estate agentsSandfords. 

Andrew Ellinas, Director of Sandfords, which also has offices in Marylebone, Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, points to the fact that over the last year, the value of gold has fallen by 2.3 per cent. In stark contrast, the value of property in prime central London continues to rise.
 

With the supply of properties for sale in Fitzrovia, Mayfair, Knightsbridge, among other prime London districts continuing to fall short of demand, the price of London’s best residential properties has increased for an unprecedented ten quarters in a row, the latest figures from Savills show. 

The estate agent’s prime London index, which covers homes with an average price of £3.5 million, shows that the average price of a home in this price bracket has increased by 17.6 per cent since the end of 2010.
 

Yolande Barnes, Savills Director, said: “In historic terms, this rate of growth looks steady for a prime residential market and much less volatile than some other prime world markets. It flies in the face of those who claim the market is overheating.”
 

The housing market in prime London has been supported by an influx of foreign buyers, due to the weak pound and the eurozone crisis. This has largely offset the impact of the Chancellor’s stamp duty raid on £2 million-plus homes last year.
 

Dominic Agace, CEO of Winkworth, commented: “Winkworth’s central London offices have for some time been experiencing growing interest in prime London properties from international buyers. With a favourable geographic location between the U.S. and Far Eastern time zones, and a track record as a safe investment market, demand will always be high.”

A glance at the market in prime central London suggests that a mini boom is occurring which could eventually benefit homeowners across the capital and beyond.
 

Property prices across much of North West London, for instance, are catching up with central London as investors look for property investment opportunities outside of central London.


Many landlords are opting to take advantage of high demand among tenants for attractive properties to rent in St. John's wood, Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage, among other surrounding areas. 

David Brown, Commercial Director of LSL Property Services, said: “As long as rents remain close to last year’s record highs there’s a strong incentive for landlords to invest in the private rented sector.”
 

With a growing number of people struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder, demand for rented accommodation is likely to grow further, with the hike in the volume of people searching for rental properties likely to create plenty of fresh buy-to-let opportunities for landlords.

More Properties for sale in North West London Needed

Theon-going shortage of residential properties in prime central London in relation to record high demand, fuelled by a flurry of international buyers, is continuing to push property prices higher. The latest Knight Frank Market Update shows that the  average price of a home in the heart of the capital increased by 0.9 per cent in January, compared to just 0.2 per cent across the UK as a whole, taking the annual rise in prime central London to 8.4 per cent.

Demand for residential properties in central London has been boosted in recent months by the draft Finance Bill which gave some clarification on the ARPT, which helped offset the downturn in sales witnessed for much of last year.

The weak pound, solid rental returns and good prospect for capital growth have also helped to boost demand, particularly among foreign buyers.

Peter Rollings, CEOMarsh & Parsons, commented: "The relative shortage of stock sees house prices in the capital setting new records according to Nationwide. Demand is coming from both home and abroad and is set to continue with the much anticipated return to more seasonable Spring-like weather."

This strong demand in central London is expected to ripple out to other parts of London, especially in North West London, where some of the most desirable districts in the capital are situated. The concern is that there are simply not enough properties for sale in North West London, due to a general housing shortage. 

Andrew Ellinas, Director of Sandfords, said: "The success of the prime central London property market over the last five years is creating a wave of price rises in nearby areas as people move further afield in search of value." 

Ellinas reports that there is a particular shortage of properties for sale in St. John's wood, Primrose Hill and Maida Vale, traditionally regarded as outside the prime central London zone.

"These areas are now developing into an 'outer prime London' market," he added.

Strong prospects for capital growth is an attractive proposition for property investors, but it is the lure of solid rental returns that far outstrip low saving interest rates, which ultimately appeals to investors, thanks to strong demand for properties to rent in North West London. 

David Whittaker, managing director at Mortgages for Business, said: "Tenant demand for residential property is ballooning thanks to the lack of mortgages available to first-time buyers. Every month more and more would-be buyers are being forced to rent, and this is pushing up demand to astronomical levels, producing very attractive gross yields for landlords as a result."

In fact, 61 per cent of private and social housing tenants in England do not believe that they will ever be able to purchase a home, mainly due to affordability constraints, according to Castle Trust.

Sean Oldfield, chief executive officer, Castle Trust, said: "Many people are either unable to get on the property ladder or stuck in their current home despite interest rates still being at an all-time low. Schemes like the Government's Funding for Lending are helping to boost borrowing options but the market still needs innovative lending products."

Castle Trust's analysis shows that owner occupation in England has fallen by 200,000 from 14.6 m in 2008 to 14.4m in 2012. Its data also indicates that there has been an increase of 23 per cent in the number of people who are choosing to rent in the private sector, with 3.1 million renters in 2008 rising to 3.8m renters in 2012; the rise in rental demand is a highly attractive proposition to buy-to-let investors.