Residential property rents in Qatar have increased 20 per cent over last year, but the oil price crash may help stabilise the market and prevent an unreasonable further hike, according to a report.

The falling oil prices, however, have not caused a downturn in the market until now, which is witnessing a good demand for properties, especially in the residential sector, said the Peninsula report.

The increased influx of professionals recruited for mega infrastructure projects was the major factor that jacked up demand for residential space, it said.

"Oil price fall does have an impact on the market and the future trends would largely depend on the variations in oil prices," Mohsen bin Abdul Rahman, Tariq Al Kubaisi real estate company, was quoted as saying.

"This does not mean that the market is dull. There is still good demand for the properties," he added.

Another real estate expert said that the year 2014 was one of the best for the industry with prices witnessing a 10 to 20 percent increase.

All the leading real estate companies, including the state-backed firms, have increased their prices, cashing in on high demand generated by the increased influx of professionals and other foreign workers to the country, said the report.

The rents for a two-bedroom flat currently range from QR6,000 ($1,646) to QR7,500, while a three-bedroom facility costs up to QR10,000 a month. Rents for medium-range villas have gone up from QR12,000 to QR15,000 over the past year, it added.