Rental growth in Great Britain picked up throughout 2019 according to Countrywide.  

In an analysis of the market released under the name of Hamptons International, the agency says the average cost of a rental home increased 2.1 per cent year-on-year.

That’s nearly double the 1.1 per cent recorded in November 2018.

The average rent of a newly let home now is £989 pcm, which is £20 more a month compared with the same time last year. 

Southern regions recorded the strongest rental growth this year.  

Rents in the South West in 2019 rose 4.2 per cent year-on-year, followed by the South East (4.1 per cent) and the East of England (2.6 per cent).  

Meanwhile the North recorded the weakest rental growth of 0.2 per cent.

“Rental growth in Great Britain accelerated throughout 2019, moving back towards its long-term average. Rental growth has been driven by a decrease in the number of homes available to rent” explains Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons International.