Rise in reluctant landlords?

Latest research (published 6 Jan 2012) from the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) indicates that the number of homes coming onto the rental market because they cannot be sold is increasing in some parts of the UK, causing a rise in the number of 'reluctant landlords.'

The question to ARLA letting agent members was: "Are you seeing an increase in rental property coming onto the market because it cannot be sold?"

The most positive response, only equalled by the North of England, was for Scotland/Wales/NI where 65.3% said yes, an increase from 62.6% in the previous quarter. It will be interesting to see if this happens in Edinburgh this year in March to June, which is usually the best time to sell.

The lowest positive response was 16.9% for Central london members. The UK-wide result was 46.9%.

It will be important for prospective landlords to seek expert advice before embarking on a rental arrangement. Clan Gordon, a regulated letting agent in Edinburgh, can provide free expert advice,
and a free rental valuation.

Note: The results are for Q3 of 2011 and there were 572 respondents. There is no breakdown of the Scotland/Wales/NI results, and no indication of how many respondents there were in this region.