A new north-south divide in rental property?

For decades, people have talked about a north-south divide, with London and the south-east being established as the engine room of the UK economy and the Midlands and north suffering a decline as old industries slipped away. Inevitably, such trends have impacted in the property sector. This may appear to be particularly true after the publication of the latest Hamptons International Monthly Lettings Index, which has shown that although rents have risen by 1.9 per cent on average across the UK, there is significant regional variation; in the north they were down by 0.3 per cent and in Scotland they plunged by 5.3 per cent. By contrast, London, the south-east and south-west, the Midlands and Wales all saw increases, while the East of England witnessed the largest rise at 3.6 per cent. London's 2.7 per cent increase represented a recovery from last year's two per cent fall. All this might suggest that the south remains the main place for rental investors to go and most of the north - bar, perhaps, local hotspots such as central Manchester - is best avoided. Know more details about A new north-south divide in rental property