Business
Gloomy forecast for tenants as rent rises set to speed up
The cost of renting is expected to rise by 4% or 5% a year by December, according to property website Zoopla.
BBC Business•
The rising cost of renting a home in the UK has accelerated after a three-year slowdown - with tenants told to expect more pain to come.
Average rental costs for new tenancies were up 2.6% in July compared with a year earlier, according to property website Zoopla.
That remains lower than the rate of rising prices in general, but the property portal has forecast annual rent rises among privately rented homes will hit 4% or 5% by the end of the year.
But since then, the number of homes on the market for renters has been squeezed, with 3% fewer being available than a year ago.