Buy to let: double whammy for amateur landlords as flat rents fall
Rents for flats have fallen for the sixth month in row in another blow for amateur landlords who bought new build flats in the hope of making a quick killing. (AtW's comment: they are getting fairly quick killing just now...)
Last Updated: 2:47PM BST 29 Apr 2009
Many first-time property investors bought flats rather than houses during the buy to let boom. New build apartments in city centres were especially popular, but these properties have suffered sharp falls in prices as supply exceeded demand. Last year The Telegraph reported that some city centre new builds were fetching just half their original selling prices at auction.
The rental market for houses is faring better, according to figures from FindaProperty.com. The number of houses available to let fell for the second month in a row during April, dropping by 1.5pc, while rents for larger properties rose for the second consecutive month, the company said.
But the supply of rental flats rose for the sixth month in a row, increasing by 2.8pc during April to be 132pc higher than a year ago. The ongoing oversupply led to a further 0.7pc fall in average rents – the 13th month running in which they have declined.
Andrew Smith, head of research at FindaProperty.com, said: "The UK has become a tale of two very different markets. House rentals are seeing the start of a recovery with declining supply rates and price rises for the largest family homes.
"In contrast, the flats market has seen a much deeper downturn, with rental prices falling for 13 consecutive months and supply levels continuing to increase."
The group said the reduction in the supply of houses available to rent was likely to be due to people who had previously listed their homes for both rent or sale taking them off the market completely or returning to the sales market with a more realistic asking price.
The fall in stock levels is expected to lead to an increase in rents in the near future, with larger family homes leading the recovery.
By contrast, the supply of flats is increasing as these properties are proving harder to sell, as they are typically favoured by first-time buyers and buy-to-let landlords, both of whom are struggling to get mortgages in the current market.
Across both property types, rents averaged £819 a month during April, down from £827 in March and more than £50 less than the £873 that landlords received in April last year.
Supply levels of all properties rose by 1.2pc during the month, the slowest rise since September last year, and just a 10th of the 12.1pc jump in properties to let seen during October.
The average time a property was on the market for between tenants also fell for the third month in a row, dropping to 63 days, although this was still 15 days longer than a year ago.
But the group warned that while the figures may suggest the rental market was close to the bottom, any recovery was likely to be slow, as supply levels were 144pc higher than in April last year.
It said the high level of supply showed that it was still a tenants' market, and as a result, rents were not expected to begin rising until the second half of this year at the earliest.
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But what about those "fundamentals" underpinning UK property market?
Rents for flats have fallen for the sixth month in row in another blow for amateur landlords who bought new build flats in the hope of making a quick killing. (AtW's comment: they are getting fairly quick killing just now...)
Last Updated: 2:47PM BST 29 Apr 2009
Many first-time property investors bought flats rather than houses during the buy to let boom. New build apartments in city centres were especially popular, but these properties have suffered sharp falls in prices as supply exceeded demand. Last year The Telegraph reported that some city centre new builds were fetching just half their original selling prices at auction.
The rental market for houses is faring better, according to figures from FindaProperty.com. The number of houses available to let fell for the second month in a row during April, dropping by 1.5pc, while rents for larger properties rose for the second consecutive month, the company said.
But the supply of rental flats rose for the sixth month in a row, increasing by 2.8pc during April to be 132pc higher than a year ago. The ongoing oversupply led to a further 0.7pc fall in average rents – the 13th month running in which they have declined.
Andrew Smith, head of research at FindaProperty.com, said: "The UK has become a tale of two very different markets. House rentals are seeing the start of a recovery with declining supply rates and price rises for the largest family homes.
"In contrast, the flats market has seen a much deeper downturn, with rental prices falling for 13 consecutive months and supply levels continuing to increase."
The group said the reduction in the supply of houses available to rent was likely to be due to people who had previously listed their homes for both rent or sale taking them off the market completely or returning to the sales market with a more realistic asking price.
The fall in stock levels is expected to lead to an increase in rents in the near future, with larger family homes leading the recovery.
By contrast, the supply of flats is increasing as these properties are proving harder to sell, as they are typically favoured by first-time buyers and buy-to-let landlords, both of whom are struggling to get mortgages in the current market.
Across both property types, rents averaged £819 a month during April, down from £827 in March and more than £50 less than the £873 that landlords received in April last year.
Supply levels of all properties rose by 1.2pc during the month, the slowest rise since September last year, and just a 10th of the 12.1pc jump in properties to let seen during October.
The average time a property was on the market for between tenants also fell for the third month in a row, dropping to 63 days, although this was still 15 days longer than a year ago.
But the group warned that while the figures may suggest the rental market was close to the bottom, any recovery was likely to be slow, as supply levels were 144pc higher than in April last year.
It said the high level of supply showed that it was still a tenants' market, and as a result, rents were not expected to begin rising until the second half of this year at the earliest.
-----------------
But what about those "fundamentals" underpinning UK property market?
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