A new report has found that the average rent price in Scotland has fallen.

The decline in 2014 contributed to a slower annual growth, the findings by Your Move added.

In its report, the letting agent said that rents fell by 0.4% last month, to take the average cost of rent to £536 a month. Over the course of the year, the rate of annual rent growth fell by two-thirds, with the average monthly rent now just 1.2% higher than the previous year.

The only areas to experience an increase in annual rental growth, was Edinburgh and the Lothians, which rose from 2.5% in December 2013, to 4.5% in December 2014. Elsewhere, average monthly rents in the Highlands and Islands are said to be 2.0% lower than December 2013, while the South of Scotland also experienced an annual fall, with rents down by 1.8%.

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Commenting on the figures, Christine Campbell, Your Move regional managing director, is quoted as saying: "This wider downturn in growth during 2014 marks a return to the natural market rhythm.

"Scottish rents were holding fast on an even keel throughout 2011 and 2012, until the abolition of tenancy fees in November 2012 sparked a new tide of unnaturally steep rent hikes.

"This should act as cautionary tale for policymakers considering further constricting changes to lettings legislation. The rental market is thriving by its own hand, and too much undue intervention may poison the current climate of affordability."

(JP/MH)