Rents in north of UK FALL for the first time in four years – here’s how to haggle with your landlord
The average monthly rent across the northern regions in April this year was £622
AVERAGE rents in Northern England have dropped since last year - the first annual fall in nearly four years, according to an index.
In April, the cost of a new let across the North West, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber fell by 0.3 per cent compared to the same time last year, the Hamptons International Monthly Lettings Index said.
The last time rent fell year-on-year was in June 2014. The average monthly rent across the northern regions in April was £622.
But renters in Southern England - including London, the South East and the South West - are now forking out on average up to 2.2 per cent more a month, bringing the bill up to £1,372.
And across Britain, average rents rose 1.9 per cent year-on-year in April to reach £953 per month.
Hamptons said that, following on from a stamp duty hike for second home owners in 2016, including ones snapped up for buy-to-let, the number of homes available for rent in the south has fallen, while in the north it has remained more resilient.
It said last month there were 19 per cent more available homes to rent in the North than in April 2016, compared with 16 per cent fewer homes available to rent in the South.
In Scotland, average rent prices dropped by 5.3 per cent year-on-year in April, at £584 per month, down from £617.
In Wales, rents increased by an average of £22 a month to £656 a month.
How to haggle with your landlord and bring down your rent
WHEN you first sign your tenancy agreement with your landlord your rent should be agreed either in writing or verbally.
To increase your rent your landlord must send you a section 13 notice which gives you a month's notice in writing telling you how much your rent will be increased by and the date when your rent will go up.
At this stage you should try to talk to your landlord and come to a fair agreement on how much rent you should pay.
Your landlord can only raise your rent if you agree to the increased price.
Matt Hutchinson, communications director for flatsharing website SpareRoom.com said that if you are a good tenant then you've got bargaining power.
"The first thing to bear in mind is that demand is lower at the moment than over the past couple of years.
"That means you’ve got a bit more bargaining power, especially if you’ve been a good tenant, as your landlord won’t want the expense and hassle of having to find another tenant and even potentially face a period with the property empty.
"Failing that, it’s worth seeing if you can get anything thrown in with a rent increase, such as minor bits of redecorating or any bills."
Landbay have a free rent check service to see how much rent you should be paying in your area.
You can find the rent check service
Find out more about how to haggle with your landlord to bring your rent down here.
Aneisha Beveridge, research analyst at Hamptons International, said: "Low stock levels in the south continue to drive rental growth as tenants compete for fewer available homes.
"Since April 2016, the month the stamp duty surcharge was introduced for second homeowners, landlords across Great Britain have sold 88,000 more homes than they bought.
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"But landlords are finding new ways to maximise their returns by purchasing properties elsewhere, particularly further North in search of lower stamp duty bills and higher yields."
Many renters are still waiting for a law to be bought in, banning high letting agents fees, almost two years after it was announced.
But there are ways of getting around the fees even before the law comes into place, like using online letting agents.
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