THE residential letting market in Worcester is booming, bucking the national trend that has seen demand flatten.

Brandon Weston, who owns Premier Letting, in Worcester, said the "doom and gloom" reported in the national press simply did not stand up in the Faithful City.

He said the local letting market was "absolutely booming" and Premier Letting had had a "flying start" to the year.

His Tything-based company has let 100 properties since January 1 this year, 25 per cent up on last year for the same period.

"They're flying in the door. The local market is really buoyant," said Mr Weston.

"You read all this doom and gloom in the national press, but the national press is centred on London, where things have quietened down.

"It's certainly not the case locally."

He said it was generally younger people who were renting.

"There are a lot of people moving into the area. It's incredibly busy. We're experiencing more and more dealings with companies."

He said the boom in residential lettings was supported by an underlying trend that has seen the average age of first-time buyers increase by nine-years in the past decade.

"The average age of the first-time buyer has shifted so much, giving people a lot longer to continue renting," said Mr Weston.

"Plus, it is so simple and convenient to rent nowadays.

"Because everything is now on-line - search facilities, credit and reference checking - it's almost instant.

"You can walk into our office on Monday and move in on the weekend."

He said the other underlying trend was an improved quality of rental accommodation.

"Landlords can't get away with renting crap anymore. The renters are more discerning. But the buy-to-let market is still a very good investment.

"Houses are proving to be a good bet versus stocks and shares."

John Crossley, chairman of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), said the London letting market had an over supply of properties, with almost 80 per cent of ARLA members reporting an over-supply there, compared with an average 37 per cent in the rest of the UK.

Generally, however, the lettings market was buoyant.

"There seems to be an overall return to balanced supply and demand as a result of traditional growth in the rental market that always appears when house price growth slows down."