RENTS ON THE RISE

More than one in four letting agents said rents rose last month – the highest for nearly a year.

The average private rent went up 1.8%, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents. That’s more than inflation, which is running at 1.7%, at the same time as energy bills and food prices have leapt.

Most tenants saw their rent stay the same and only 2.8% got a reduction, the survey found.