According to inews.co.uk….
“City dwellers seeking to escape the claustrophobia of Covid-19 lockdowns in places like Edinburgh, London and Manchester have caused rents to rocket in Devon and Cornwall as they seek the space and fresh air of the South West of England.
According to property portal Rightmove, while asking rents in the UK’s biggest cities plummeted 12 per cent during 2020, rents in towns and villages of Devon and Cornwall have risen by as much as 7 per cent as tenants use working from home instructions as an opportunity to ride out the pandemic in one to the UK’s most popular tourist spots.
As rents in London slumped by 12.4 per cent last year, they rocketed by 7.3 per cent in the Cornish town of St Austell. Rents in Edinburgh and Manchester saw falls of 10 per cent and 5.3 per cent, but tenants had to pay almost 7 per cent more in Devon’s Torquay and Cornwall’s Falmouth
Other areas in the two counties experiencing strong rent rises include Exmouth, where tenants now have to pay 6.3 per cent more than a year ago to live by the sea, Plymouth (5.9 per cent), and Exeter (3 per cent more).” Newton Abbot and surrounding areas are within easy reach of these areas and judging by the number of new property development, it stands to reason Newton Abbot will be viewed as a desirable location for those working from home and/or for those travelling to Exeter, Torquay or Plymouth for work.
