The sharp rise in apartment prices in major Czech cities in recent years combined with stricter mortgage conditions have led more people to rent, with a study by consultants KPMG quoted by Hospodářské noviny finding that the number of rental properties on the market has fallen by a third in only two years. In the last five years, prices of new apartments in Prague have gone up by 80% while rents have climbed by 42%, meaning there is room for the latter to rise still further.