Rent hikes force students into B&Bs

LANDLORDS were yesterday accused of driving up rents to cushion the blow of rising mortgage interest rates.

As students returned to college after the summer break amid reports of having to sleep in B&Bs because of rent hikes, landlords were warned that running tenants out the door by jumping up costs would only hurt themselves in the long run.

The national housing agency, Threshold, said a high turnover of tenants usually results in properties becoming run down.