“We are still very much in the grips of a stock-deprived market”

Harriet Scanlan, lettings manager at Richmond estate agency Antony Roberts:

“We are still very much in the grips of a stock-deprived market.

“One of the primary drivers for private landlords exiting the BTL sector are changes in tax regulations, primarily the reduction of mortgage tax relief.

“The interest rate hikes have also had a direct hit on some landlords’ profit margins. 

“However, those landlords who are able to hold their nerve are being rewarded with minimal-to-no void periods and escalating rental prices.”