Rents for UK homes are cheaper than a year ago, according to a survey, but while flats have come down in price larger houses are bucking the trend.

The average rent stood at £819 a month in April, falling from £827 in March and £873 a year earlier, said website Findaproperty.com.

A growing supply of flats, often from property owners unable to sell, has pushed down rental prices.

But fewer large houses are available, which has driven up costs for tenants.

"The UK has become a tale of two very different markets," said Andrew Smith, head of research at Findaproperty.com.

'Sale or rent'

The group said that the number of houses available to rent had fallen for the second month in a row.

It said that this was because people who had listed their properties to rent or sale had taken them off the market or were selling them at lower asking prices.

The number of flats available to rent increased for the sixth month in a row. This pushed down the rents being demanded of tenants, the 13th month in a row that the average demand had declined.

A property was on the market between tenants for an average of 63 days, the poll found, some 15 days longer than a year ago.

SOURCE: BBC News