Thirty tenants chase every home in Britain’s rental hotspots

The places where tenants face the fiercest competition to secure a home have been revealed – with an average of 30 renters chasing each property.

Rightmove has listed the top 10 rental hotspots in Britain, with Birkenhead and Wallasey – both on the Wirral in Merseyside – sharing the top slot.

An average of 30 tenants enquire about each property in both areas, where typical rents are £874 and £975 a month respectively.

They are followed by Carlisle, in Cumbria, where 29 tenants typically enquire about each property. The average rent in the area is £913 a month.

Glasgow ranked fourth with 28 enquiries per property, followed by East Kilbride and Prenton, both on 27.

Kingswood in Bristol, Chorlton Cum Hardy in Manchester, Morecambe and Salisbury also appear in the top 10.

For Britain as a whole, rental properties attracted an average of 11 enquiries each.

It is down from 12 during the same period – July and August – last year, and well below the peak of 28 recorded in the same months in 2022.

It remains above the pre-pandemic summer average of eight.

Average asking rents are still at record levels nationally, currently £1,580 a month.

Strong competition

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s Head of Partner Marketing, says: “July and August are typically the busiest months of the year for the rental market, and our analysis shows that competition remains particularly strong in some parts of Britain.

“While rental supply has rebalanced compared with previous years, there are still locations where each available home attracts high numbers of enquiries from prospective tenants.”

She adds: “The North West features particularly prominently in our findings, accounting for six of the 10 most competitive locations, while Scotland recorded the highest average level of competition anywhere in Britain.”

Babcock says the findings are a reminder that competition can still be strong despite improved supply.

Rental costs

Kim Ledbury, ARLA Propertymark President, says: “Considering rental costs have increased substantially over the last decade, many tenants are now looking at areas of greater affordability than ever before, particularly as advancing technology makes it easier for people to work remotely or in hybrid locations without having to locate themselves in or near larger towns and cities.

“For many, this increased flexibility means that living further away from traditional employment centres can provide an opportunity to manage housing costs while still maintaining access to employment.

“Renting has become increasingly popular for many because of the flexibility it can offer and of course, the real-world challenges many people currently face when trying to save a deposit to potentially buy a home.

“For those who are not yet in a position to purchase, renting can provide an important degree of choice and flexibility while they consider their longer-term housing options.”