Knight Frank's Prime Global Rental Index rose by 1.6% in the final quarter of 2012, taking the annual increase to 5.1% and putting the index 20% above its post-financial crisis low in Q2 2009.

The prime London rental market has not escaped the uncertainty which has gripped the UK economy and housing market in recent months, says LonRes in its comprehensive review of the last three months.

It's a patchy picture across prime London's sales and rental markets, with headline numbers disguising some significant differences between local areas.