Dogs Trust thinks it is a good idea to provide prospective landlords with a reference for your pet so that you can show them in advance that you are a responsible owner and that your pet is well behaved.

It would be great if you could ask a previous landlord to write the reference as they will be in the best position to recommend you and your pet as tenants. If you have not rented with your pets before, you could also ask your vet to write you a reference. Although they will not be able to vouch for you and your pet as tenants, they can reassure prospective landlords that you are a responsible pet owner. You should ask your vet to state in their reference that:

- your pets are well behaved
- you are a responsible pet owner
- you provide routine preventive health care, such as vaccinations and flea treatments, for you pets (when appropriate)
- you seek medical treatment for your pets when needed.

Download the Pet Reference Sample HERE.

Dogs Trust’s Lets with Pets campaign aims to help pet owners find privately rented accommodation with their pets. Go to the Lets With Pets campaign website.

A London landlord who has had the same tenant in his property for over five years is wondering whether he should start raising the rent. What advice would you give him?

Click here to read the City A.M. Q&A column where this question was raised.

Well, we certainly do not expect the landlord to freeze the rent just because we’ve been a good tenant but we would definitely prefer an annual reasonable rise to a big surprise hike!

Unbelievable! One Hyde Park hits the new rental price record – Savills is advertising a 5-bedroom flat available for rent for £45,000 a week! Yes, just £195,000 per month and £2,340.000 per year. We have heard that someone rented a flat in OHP for £55,000 per week but that’s the first time we see an actual listing with such a high price tag.

1. £45,000 One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge SW1, 5 bedrooms available through Savills.
2.-3. £25,000 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea SW3, 3 bedrooms Foxtons
2.-3. £25,000 Wellington Court, 116 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge SW1 PL & CO
2.-3. £25,000 One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms Savills
4. £17,000 Hans Place, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms Draker Lettings
5.-6. £15,000 Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge SW1, 3 bedrooms Cameron Pearson
5.-6. £15,000 Duchess of Bedfords Walk, Holland Park W8 Hamptons International
7. £12,500 Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge SW1, 3 bedrooms Foxtons
8. £12,000 Palace Court, London W2, 5 bedrooms Knight Frank
9. £10,575 Albion Riverside, Battersea SW11 Knight Frank
10. £10,000 Lowndes Place, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms Cameron Pearson

Sources: PrimeLocation.com, Zoopla, FindaProperty.com, Rightmove

Have you seen a flat that should be on this list? Leave the link to the comments or E-mail us info at royalsofrent.com.

Read also: Most Expensive London Flats For Rent

Estate agent Knight Frank will soon be opening a new office near Lancaster Gate tube station, in the corner of Craven Terrace and Craven Hill in London W2. There are 3 other agents close by – Chard is just down the road on Craven Terrace, Cavendish Rowe and Kyoto Estates across the road on Craven Road.

Watch it, City – the estate agents are keeping an eye on you!

Lucy Morton, Senior Partner of WA Ellis, shares her market expertise:

“The Eurozone crisis is I believe slowing down rent increases but I say this with caution as historically November is one of the quietest months in the Lettings calendar. The first 10 days of December are generally extremely active and this is when we will be able to establish whether it is the time of year or the economic situation which is applying the brakes. It is clear however that the City is not bringing in so many ex-pats who underpin the lettings values in Central London – the Lettings market is always an excellent barometer for the City climate.”

Interesting times ahead.

Rent rises slowed to their lowest rate in 8 months, according to the latest Buy‐to‐Let Index from LSL Property Services, which owns the UK’s largest lettings agent network.

Over the course of the last year, London’s rents have risen faster than any other region. However, the monthly rate of increase slowed in London, with rents increasing to £1,030 a month, just a 0.1% rise compared to September. As a result, London’s annual increase also slowed in October, falling to 5.7% from 5.8% the previous month.

David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services, comments: “Rents are still heading northwards, but tenants may take comfort from the fact they did not climb at such a blistering pace in October. The recent increases are likely to continue to level out in run up to Christmas – traditionally a slower time for the market. Nevertheless,
despite the slower rate of increase, the cost of renting is still rising annually at nearly twice the speed of the average salary and many tenants will need to dedicate a growing portion of their disposable income to the cost of accommodation over the next year.”

Download Buy-to-let Index October 2011 (*pdf)

Yes, keep the coming! Here an offer from estate agent Hurford Salvi Carr:

Rent a property through Hurford Salvi Carr before the end of 2011 and pay no admin charges. This offer is for tenants only and is applicable to all tenancies that start before the end of the year. Tenants will have their lease agreement and referencing charges waived but still may be subject to inventory costs.

Visit Hurford Salvi Carr website for more information.

Estate agent Haart opens the season of giving by offering prospective tenants the chance to stay rent free for two weeks over Christmas.

All you need to do is register with a branch during the ‘no rent event‘ between November 21 – November 27th. If you then subsequently rent one of the selected properties before December 23, you will get the first two weeks rent free.

So mark your calendars and bookmark www.haart.co.uk!

This better be photoshopped!!

Zoopla has launched a fun new feature - Zoopla Purple Plaques - an initiative that recognises properties across the country where a famous person lived in the past.

A survey of estate agents has revealed that celebrity association can significantly increase the desirability of a house. Three in four (75%) agents polled agree celebrity association will help sell a property and almost three in five (58%) agree celebrity association can help add value to a property – over half of agents by as much as 5%.

Click here to claim a Purple Plaque for your house.

Prime Minister David Cameron lived here from 1995-2006.

Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton lived here from 1997-2001.

The tight competition among prospective tenants in London has lead to flat hunters providing landlords with their CV’s!

Estate agent Ludlow Thompson says that 1 in 20 prospective tenants are now providing landlords with some kind of unsolicited CV in the hope of being picked over competitors for a rental property. Find out more here: Tenants provide landlords with CVs.

Tip: You might be able to beat your Oxbridge graduate competitor by providing an excellent genetic report.

[Photo: Binded Document By Sean MacEntee]

Make sure your employer is in on that one – the latest research by Savills predicts that rents will rise by more than 20% in prime London by the end of 2016!

Here’s what the property expert foresees for the next 5 years:

- Private renting will account for 1 in 5 households by 2016.
- Competition among renters will drive rents higher, with growth in mainstream rents forecast to rise by 20.5% by the end of 2016.
- The growth significantly outpaces house price growth which is expected to total just 6.0% over the same 5 years.
- The differential in capital value growth and rental value growth will push out yields and is likely to be the catalyst for renewed investment activity in the sector by corporates and institutions looking for income rather than individuals looking for capital growth.
- Average gross yield on residential stock (IPD) will rise from 5.4% to 6.1%.
- In areas of low owner-occupier demand, and associated suppressed capital values, yields are already high and could see an even greater shift, perhaps averaging nearer 9% by the end of 2016.
- In prime London, rental growth of 20.5% is forecast for the next 5 years, though the forecast of 22.7% capital growth will suppress yields.
- For prime central locations capital growth will continue to be the major draw for investors. Prime locations outside the centre will see some outward yield movements.

“The biggest challenge now is how to deliver much needed supply into the private rentals market.”
- Yolande Barnes, Director of Savills Residential Research.

Residential Property Focus

View to South Bank from St Paul’s Walk, October 2011

Isn’t it too early to ask what’s in store for the year ahead? Estate agent Hamptons International is the first to predict on what is going to happen with London rents next year:

London is expected to see more growth, with a predicted 5% increase in prices and 3% in Prime London.

High rents in Central London will continue to push demand further out as renters are unable and/or unwilling to stretch budgets. This will support rental growth in areas of Inner London such as Islington, Ealing, Clapham and further out towards Wimbledon, Richmond, Esher and Guildford.

Lesley Cairns, Head of Lettings at Hamptons International, commented: “We are expecting the rental market boom to continue in Prime and Greater London, driven by a continued imbalance between supply and demand. For the first time ever, the private rented sector will house more people in the UK than the social rented sector, which will put continued pressure on prices.

“Rents are likely to continue to rise, although this rise will be moderated as tenants find ever-more creative ways to make life more affordable. We are already seeing increasing numbers of flat sharers and “outmigrators” looking for a similar quality of stock and location but prepared to move from Zone one to Zones two, three and four to find it. Both of these trends are likely to become more widespread throughout 2012.”

Hamptons International Announces its 2012 Property Market Forecasts

Cinema room in one of the two most expensive houses for rent in London © Knight Frank

1.-2. £40,000 Brick Street, Mayfair W1, 7 bedrooms available through Knight Frank
1.-2. £40,000 Mayfair W1, 14 bedrooms Strutt & Parker
3. £31,500 Suffolk Place, Haymarket SW1, 7 bedrooms Outlet
4.-5. £30,000 Holland Park W11, 13 bedrooms MC’GLashans
4.-5. £30,000 Eaton Square, Belgravia SW1, 7 bedrooms Knight Frank
6. £25,000 Crescent Grove, Clapham SW4, 5 bedrooms Foxtons
7. £20,000 Wimpole Street, Marylebone W1, 5 bedrooms Foxtons
8.-9. £15,000 Wilton Crescent, Belgravia SW1, 7 bedrooms Knight Frank
8.-9. £15,000 Pembroke Gardens, Kensington W8, 8 bedrooms Thakerays
8.-9. £15,000 Harley Gardens, South Kensington SW10, 7 bedrooms Cameron Pearson
8.-9. £15,000 Ovington Square, Knightsbridge SW3, 6 bedrooms Foxtons
8.-9. £15,000 Avenue Road, St John’s Wood NW8, 6 bedrooms Aston Chase
8.-9. £15,000 Westcombe Park Road, Blackheath SE3, 5 bedrooms Foxtons
8.-9. £15,000 Hanover Terrace, Regent’s Park NW1, 5 bedrooms Stirling Ackroyd
8.-9. £15,000 Crescent Grove, Clapham SW4, 5 bedrooms Foxtons
10. £14,950 Frognal, Hampstead NW3, 7 bedrooms TK International

Based on listings in PrimeLocation.com, Zoopla, FindaProperty.com & Rightmove.

See also:
- Most Expensive London Houses For Rent September 2011
- Most Expensive London Houses For Rent August 2011

© Knight Frank, 4 bedroom flat £25,000 per week in One Hyde Park

Knightsbridge is officially the most expensive area to rent a flat in London – seven out of ten priciest London rentals are situated just there. The Wellington Court penthouse, which has been on the market on and off for more than a year, now shares the top spot with two apartments from the new One Hyde Park building.

1.-3. £25,000 One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms available through Knight Frank
1.-3. £25,000 One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms via Savills
1.-3. £25,000 Wellington Court, Knightsbridge SW1, 6 bedrooms via Harrods Estates
4. £18,000 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea SW3, 3 bedrooms via Foxtons
5. £17,500 One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge SW1, 3 bedrooms via Savills
6. £17,000 Hans Place, Knightsbridge SW1, 4 bedrooms via Plaza Estates
7. £15,000 Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge SW1, 3 bedrooms via Cameron Pearson
8. £15,000 Duchess of Bedfords Walk W8, 5 bedrooms via Hamptons International
9. £12,500 Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge SW1, 3 bedrooms via Foxtons
10. £12,000 Nile Street, Old Street N1, 3 bedrooms via Foxtons

Sources: PrimeLocation.com, Zoopla, FindaProperty.com, Rightmove

Spotted a flat that should be on this list? Leave the link to the comments or E-mail us info at royalsofrent.com.

Read also: Most Expensive London Flats For Rent August 2011

Are you struggling to find somewhere to rent? Having problems with your landlord? Ask your questions on the Guardian website and have the panel of experts from Citizens Advice, Propertywide and Spareroom to answer. Advice will be given online on Tuesday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

Post your question in the comments below this article.