A CITY centre super-pad has just been snapped up for a staggering £5,000 a month - a record rent for Manchester.

The sumptuous three-bedroom apartment, which boasts stone fireplaces, decadent dining room, huge outside terrace and even a sauna, has been taken by a family who have just relocated to the city. But even this eye-watering amount could soon be surpassed.

The penthouse above it, one of four spanning the top of the Leftbank building in Spinningfields, is also available for rent - at around £10,000 a month.

Jennie Platt, from 0161 Lettings on Bridge Street which negotiated the tenancy, said: "Despite the credit crunch there are several people around looking for this level of specification in a central location but only a very limited number of properties.

"When people get over a certain budget level then the exact amount they have to pay to get what they want, where they want, is reasonably irrelevant.

Recession- proof

"Some people are recession- proof!"

While the three-bed apartment has the feel of a Cheshire mansion in the sky, the penthouse is pure glitz with polished concrete walls, a vast living and eating space with floor-to-ceiling windows, a wrap-around terrace and bathrooms with walls of glass.

But according to Jennie it is not just the top end of the market that is booming.

Demand for apartments is strong right across the city with two-bedroom apartments with car parking in particularly short supply.

Jennie said: "Apartments may be built and finished but they are not coming to the market because would-be landlords cannot get the finance to buy them.

"Couple that with extra demand from first-time buyers who are having to rent not buy because they cannot get mortgages either and we have a supply problem.

"The bottom line is that Manchester is a great city with a lot going on and people do want to live here - whatever their budget."

If the penthouses are out of your reach then you can rent a two-bedroom apartment in Leftbank for under £900 a month.