Tenants in nearly one in three neighbourhoods saw rents rise in February, letting agents data has revealed.
Rents are rising quickest in the South East of England, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents. Two in five letting agents in this area reported a rent hike.
Landlords may feel they can yank up rents because of the increased competition for rental property. ARLA's agents reported an average of 40 prospective tenants per branch in February, up from 38 in January.
So how can you persuade your landlord to keep the rent at a reasonable level?
You can do this on , and also sites like and . Signing up to property alerts will give you an up-to-date picture of the area.
If you normally deal with a letting agent, try to speak to the landlord as well. Letting agents may be pushing their own agenda - in 2013, the Office of Fair Trading slammed them for their hidden fees.
Remind your landlord you have looked after the property and paid your rent on time. Landlords live in fear of bad tenants, because it can take months to evict them.
More and more Brits are looking to rent. This could be because they have struggled to save up enough money to buy a home or don't qualify for a mortgage, or they do not qualify for social housing. So there are lots of potential tenants competing for each property.
At the same time, many landlords actually bought their property with a mortgage. If interest rates rise in 2015, they could have higher monthly mortgage payments. .
Before you accept rent rises, check a few things.
“Tenants should check their contracts. If they’re on a fixed-term tenancy, landlords aren’t allowed to increase rents until the fixed term ends, unless there’s a clause in the agreement stating the rent can be increased," said SpareRoom director Matt Hutchinson.
“If you’re a reliable long term tenant, don’t resign yourself to a rent hike. This could be the ideal opportunity to negotiate with your landlord, get some household bills included within your rent or address any maintenance issues in return. You won’t lose anything by asking.”
If you're moving into a new flat, it's always good to check out the landlord early on - .