Renting: Shortfall of properties creates frenzied market, surveyors say

A shortfall of properties to match demand from tenants - causing a rise in the cost of renting - is striking in its consistency, surveyors say.

One agent said the rental market in his area was "frenzied" owing to fierce competition for homes among tenants.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said the proportion of its members reporting growth in demand was at a five-month high in March.

Rents are expected to rise across the UK, averaging a 4% annual increase.

Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Rics, said the rental sector was constrained by a lack of homes. Surveyors reported that tax and regulations were leading many landlords to consider whether to continue or sell up.

Andrew Oulsnam, a surveyor in Birmingham, said that demand for properties far exceeded supply, with many landlords deciding to sell whenever a tenant left.

"There is no end in sight for a serious shortage of properties to rent," he said.

Although the imbalance between demand and supply - particularly for family homes - was pushing up the cost of renting, there were also warnings that tenants already faced financial strain from rising bills and prices.

"Tenants' budgets are coming under pressure due to the rise in the cost of living. Landlords who choose to price sensibly are attracting the most interest," said Alec Harragin, from Savills estate agents in London.

Emily, her partner, and their baby son MJ had been renting a two-bedroom flat in Aylesbury. The landlord wanted to put up the rent at the end of their current tenancy but the family couldn't afford it. They began searching for somewhere else to live, but it's been frustrating.

"There's been times when I've said, 'Yes, I'll take this one'," Emily told the BBC last month. "I love it, it's perfect, and then they'll say, 'It's gone'." It has been, she says, "the most stressful time of my life - other than having a baby,"

After months of searching, the family had to move out of their home earlier this month. But they hadn't found somewhere new, so they had to move back in with their families - which means Emily and her partner staying under different roofs.

"On our actual relationship it's been really difficult," she says.

The family now have one goal: "To find a two-bed house, because then it'll have enough space for us three."

The sales market was reported to be much calmer, with a lack of activity proving to be the key issue, according to RICS.

The survey suggested that surveyors were most likely to report falling levels of interest from buyers, fewer homes being put up for sale, and house prices falling.

The expectation was for slower levels of sales to continue in the coming months.

"Deals are being done, but a theme coming through in the anecdotal remarks is the need for vendors to recognise the shift in market dynamics," said Mr Rubinsohn.

Over the medium-term, the picture was more settled with an expectation that interest rates may have peaked.

A slight rise in activity and house prices was predicted by surveyors in a year's time.

There's more on your renting rights and where to go for help here.