Considering we are a quarter of the way through 2015 and
Easter under our belt, I was talking to landlord from West Hallam the other day
about what is happening to the level of rents that are being achieved in the Ilkeston
property market.
In terms of rents in Ilkeston, it appears that rents being
achieved for new rentals (ie when the tenant moves out and new tenant moves in)
have risen in the order of 3% in the last 12 months on top of the range modern
properties, yet remained static for older Victorian terraced houses and
converted apartments. However, landlords with existing sitting tenants,
irrespective of age are not increasing their rents, as most landlords prefer to
keep their existing tenant paying the same rent and have the peace of mind that
their tenant remains, paying the rent (thus reducing the risk of a void period).
It must be remembered rents dropped by 7.7% over 2008/9, due
to oversupply in the rental market in 2009. A lot of the people who couldn’t
sell their property in Ilkeston in 2008/9 when the Credit Crunch hit in 2008,
decided to let their house out instead of selling at a loss. In fact, the
number of houses on the market in Ilkeston dropped by 63.1% between April 2007
and March 2009, a lot of which came on to the rental market in Ilkeston. However,
looking at the longer term, tenants have had it good because since the turn of the Millennium,
average wages have grown by 46%, but rents outside London have only grown by
36% over this period.
I told the landlord that there is a lack of new rental
properties in Ilkeston coming on the market, in fact according to the Office of
National Statistics, only 241 new rental properties are coming to the market each
year in Ilkeston, a figure which can’t keep up with the increase of population
that Ilkeston and the surrounding area has seen since the turn of the
Millennium. This is compounded by the fact a number of landlords are looking to
sell their rental properties in the coming months, as the property market in Ilkeston
has improved. This further compounded as tenants in existing rental properties
appear to be staying in properties for longer periods of time.
Looking at the rents charged in Ilkeston, historic evidence
in the UK suggests private market rents have moved in line with general
inflation. Government figures only go back as far as the year 2000, but looking
at other countries with similar housing markets (America, Australia, Ireland
and Holland) the fact is rents paid by tenants tend to rise in line or just
ahead of inflation.
As short term wage growth in Ilkeston has eased off
recently, rising by only 1.3% in the last 12 months, taking average salaries in
Ilkeston to £27,167pa, with the tax breaks announced by The Chancellor in the
Budget, I believe, even though rents have kept pace with inflation in the past,
renting as an option has become more affordable, and is increasingly seen as a
lifestyle choice. With returning economic growth and expected increases in the
rate of growth of wages, above inflation rental growth could rise.
If you want a chat about the local Ilkeston property market,
pop in for a coffee or email me on jeremy.bullock@spructree.co.uk
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