St Albans among top-10 home-rental hotspots

ST ALBANS is among the top-10 hotspots for people looking to rent somewhere to live. A new survey has shown rental interest in the Home Counties rose sharply in October as people are believed to have moved further out of London to save on housing costs. P

ST ALBANS is among the top-10 hotspots for people looking to rent somewhere to live.

A new survey has shown rental interest in the Home Counties rose sharply in October as people are believed to have moved further out of London to save on housing costs.

Potential buyers trying to save deposits for their own homes also find it cheaper to rent in St Albans.

Counties within easy reach of the capital dominated the top spots in an index of popular rental property searches from propertyfinder.com in October. Surrey was the top-searched county in the UK with Oxfordshire, Kent, Hampshire, Essex, Herts and Sussex all in the top 10. This is reflected in the list of top-10 towns.

Nicholas Leeming, director of propertyfinder.com said: "Renters know they can save a considerable amount by living outside the city and we are seeing a rising demand from people taking this route.

"Many young prospective buyers are delaying house purchase due to lack of mortgage availability and choosing to rent for less in commuter areas. With London rents so high for many, this is the only way they can save towards a deposit and now more than ever people want to ensure they are in a position to act fast and buy once they call the bottom of the market."

The top-10 towns listed in order are Putney, Chiswick, Guildford, Harrow, Colchester, Halifax, Exeter, Chelmsford, Bradford and St Albans.