A lettings agency in Kent has been drawn into a spat about rent levels following a councillor’s comment on Twitter.

Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Perkin, who represents part of Faversham, tweeted that a four bed new-build semi detached house available to rent at £1,800 pcm was “disgraceful”.

When picked up by the local media, agent Mark Greenwood of William Property Management Ltd said demand is high because Faversham is “a lovely market town and a desirable place to live”.

He continues: “The rental sector is heavily influenced by the sale value of property. When sale values increase, so do rental prices.

“We can’t influence those prices, they are set by the demand for property.

“The vast majority of houses that we let in Faversham are to local people.

“This particular house is a substantial four-bedroom new build. We have just advertised it and have already had a number of enquiries from people wanting to arrange a viewing.

“We completely understand how difficult it is for people to find their ideal home and we work very hard with all our potential tenants to help them achieve this.”

The councillor tweeted: “How is this sustainable? Families are being driven out of Faversham. It’s disgraceful.

“When I moved here 12 years ago, our three-bed was £625 per month. It’s just so depressing to watch prices rise when there is nothing you can do about it.”

Local media in Kent report that some four bedroom properties are letting for £2,100 pcm.