Regional rent rises: 6.4% was highest in the UK in 20...

Northern Ireland, where rents were 6.4 per cent higher in December than in the same month of 2015, saw the strongest rental inflation of any region in the UK last year according to HomeLet.

Next up was the North East of England on 4.9 per cent and Wales on 3.9 per cent.

Just one region saw a fall in rents over the same period, with the East Midlands recording a drop of 0.4 per cent.

Regions that were more likely to show higher rental increases during the first half of the year saw a more marked pull-back in the second six months. This was led by London, but the South East saw rental price inflation fall from 4.0 per cent in June to just 1.7 per cent in December, while the East of England dropped from 5.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.

“The fact that the areas of the country where rental price inflation was previously highest were the areas in which rent increases dropped back most significantly in the second half of last year adds weight to the idea that an affordability ceiling is now becoming an issue. Landlords and letting agents are clearly being cautious” says Martin Totty, HomeLet’s chief executive officer.

Here’s HomeLet’s breakdown of regional rent data up to the end of December 2015 (below) and you can see HomeLet's national assessment here:

Regional rent rises: 6.4% was highest in the UK in 2016