Average monthly rents across the UK have risen by 1.6 per cent to £955 in the year to February, the latest index from Homelet reveals.

London has seen a sharper increase of 3.2 per cent with average rents reaching £1,650.

When the capital is excluded, the average UK rent is 1.2 per cent higher year on year at £791.

Nine of the twelve regions monitored by the index saw rents increase between February 2019 and February 2020.

The steepest rise was in the North West where rents rose by 6.8 per cent to £755.

Wales was just behind with an increase of 5.5 per cent to £650.

In Northern Ireland rents rose by 4.9 per cent to £669 and in the East Midlands they were up by 4.2 per cent to £651.

Behind London, rents in Scotland rose by 2.9 per cent to £672 and in the West Midlands they were up by 2 per cent to £708.

Yorkshire and the Humber saw rents rise by 1.6 per cent to £645.

In the East of England, rent rises were barely in positive territory with an increase of 0.1 per cent to £916.

Rents fell in three regions.

The South East saw the biggest drop of 2.7 per cent to £1,018.

The South West recorded a 2.2 per cent decline to £849 and the North East saw rents dip by 1.3 per cent to £517.