Sue Foxley

January is traditionally a time for retail discounts and bargain hunting and although not a comparison, January 2025 could also be a good time to become a renter as after several years of double-digit growth, rents are cooling and the market power is shifting from landlord to customer.

Oxford Economics forecast a rapid decline in the bank rate this year and next, ending 2024 at 4% and 2025 at 3%.

The persistent stock shortages experienced in the Cambridge rental market continued in the final quarter of 2023.

Our latest report on the residential rental market.

Our latest report on the residential rental market.

The UK economic outlook is brighter than previously expected, with only a small contraction in growth of 0.2% expected this year.

Three months is a long time in politics, and the housing market. While economic uncertainty loomed prior to the summer of political turmoil, events compounded the challenging backdrop.

While ahead of pre-pandemic levels, lettings activity in the first half of 2022 was slightly down on 2021 due to market-wide stock shortages, placing upward pressure on rents.