A FAMILY run estate and lettings agency says its rental property portfolio has doubled in the past two or three years thanks to the influx of medical staff and students at the new hospital complex and Keele University pushing up demand.

Louise Nixon-Walker, director of Hartshill-based Bramptons, says she now has around 100 rental properties compared to 45 or 50 two to three years ago, and that she is also handling more requests now for managed properties. Her average monthly rental is around £500 pcm with the cheapest property at £350 and the most expensive being £800.

Louise says: "People are renting for a variety of reasons, be that financial, because they cannot afford the deposit to get on to the ownership ladder, or because they are not confident about being able to meet mortgage repayments, but we have also seen a big surge in demand from the impact of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the expansion at Keele.

"There has been a big influx of temporary residents at the medical school and we are getting a lot of requests from doctors, nurses and students.

"Our portfolio of rental properties has roughly doubled in the past few years and there is no doubt that the lettings side of the business is definitely stronger than sales at the moment, although there has been an increase in the number of viewings by potential house buyers in the past few weeks. There is a lot of interest from landlords wanting to invest in buy-to-let which underlines the strength of the rental market in the current economic conditions as well as the big market around here from students.''

The agency has recently revamped its website at www. bramptonsestateagents.com to make it easier for tenants to find a property with a simple drop down menu.