LONDON, September 11 /PRNewswire/ --     Tenant demand now outstrips supply in all areas of the rental market,
even as private landlords continue to invest in the sector. This is revealed
in the latest quarterly survey of ARLA member letting agents published today
(Tuesday 11 September).

The quarterly ARLA surveys are the largest of their kind in the Private
Rented Sector and ARLA believes that the results this quarter are consistent
with the traditional cycle of softening house prices leading to increased
rental demand.

Achievable rent levels are reported to have risen in all areas. This
continues the trend that began at the beginning of 2007 and rent levels are
now reported as being at an all time high.

Despite the continuing rise in property prices, the increase in
achievable rents has led also to a growth in the return on the asset value of
houses, although the return on flats remains unchanged.

In the three months to the end of August, average rents for houses ranged
from GBP819 a week in prime central London, through GBP345 across the South
East to GBP230 in the rest of the country. For flats, average rents were
GBP525 in Prime Central London, GBP215 in the South East and GBP150 in the
rest of the country.

In all the regions, the average rents achieved for houses is more than
half as much again - between 53% and 60% higher - as the average for flats,
although the increase in rents achieved over the three summer months averaged
6% overall for both houses and flats.

With more than half of all ARLA members saying that rents have increased
in a single quarter, this figure is now standing at an all time high.

Nearly three quarters of all tenants, 73%, stay in the same rented
property for between ten and 18 months, leading to an average tenancy of 16.3
months. The longest tenancies are in Prime Central London at 17.7 months,
followed by the South East at 16.5 months and 15.4 months for the rest of the
country.

The overall average void rate over a year is 23 days. This continues a
trend of declining empty periods from the average of 31 days during the
winter of 2003/2004.

Commented Ian Potter, newly appointed ARLA Operations Manager, "These
figures are consistent with the traditional cycles that are always underlined
by the Private Rented Sector when house prices soften. Demand for rented
accommodation rises. Once again, the sector is acting as the only viable
safety valve for housing as a whole and bridging the gap between
owner-occupation and the various provisions for social housing."

The full results of the latest quarterly survey of ARLA member firms of
letting agents are available on http://www.arla.co.uk