Welcome to Britain's most affordable city for renting a home The cost of lettings increased over the summer holidays, typical for August and September as graduates settle into new accommodation and families move based on the school schedule. Rents then fell in the autumn as demand quietened - again, usual for the time of year. However, this was a larger than normal seasonal drop, driven by landlords readjusting their price expectations, according to analysts at Homelet. Molly Chesney, director at Homelet, said: "More than the home sales market, rents are absolutely linked to income. The first check is income to rent so landlords know what people can afford. Rents have been steadily rising across the UK for the last six months as a reaction to the last year's surge in house prices, which has put the home ownership dream out of reach for many. Ms Chesney added: "My instinct is that this fall [in rents] is linked to affordability. Rents have been driven up recently and have now hit a natural ceiling. The fall in the average UK rent was driven by a 9.3pc drop in the South West, a region associated with high rental prices, followed by Scotland, East Anglia and London. Rents in the South West have been pushed up by families moving out of London in search of a lifestyle change. They are either trying before they buy, explained Ms Chesney, or renting a bigger home, letting their property in London and holding off selling it until the market stabilises. A recent report from Savills, the property group, found that there is a growing trend for families renting property on rural estates and farms - often living in the converted outhouses in the grounds of a manor house. While UK rents are falling, the price gap between buying and renting is still at its historic widest, with Adam Challis, head of residential research at JLL, forecasting a modest rise in rents next year.