Mortgage interest and rental costs increase as inflation makes a return

Rents and mortgage costs continued to rise in April, and were joined by the first across-the-board rise in consumer prices since the start of the Covid crisis.

Rents increased by 1.6%, year-on-year, last month, while mortgage interest rates jumped nearly 2%, according to CSO figures, which showed an overall return to inflation. 

April saw the first rise in annual monthly consumer prices since before the Covid crisis hit.