Hottest UK cities for rental demand revealed

January 15, 2020

The latest research by rental management platform, Howsy, has looked at where across the UK is kicking off a new decade with the highest tenant demand for buy-to-let homes.

Howsy looked at rental listings across the major online portals and analysed demand across 23 major UK cities as well as each borough of London, based on the proportion of rental listings that had already been snapped up by renters as a percentage of all listings available online.

By doing so, Howsy is able to identify just where the hottest pockets of the rental market currently are and where buy-to-let properties are flying off the shelves due to a combination of high tenant demand and lower levels of housing stock.

Most in-demand UK cities

When it comes to current demand, Newport is home to the highest level of tenant demand with 35% of all rental homes listed on the major portals already let.

Bristol also remains one of the most in-demand cities for rental properties at 34%, with Nottingham (33%), Cambridge (33%) and Belfast (25%) also ranking in the top five.

Plymouth (23%), Portsmouth (23%), Bournemouth (23%), Leicester (18%) and Manchester (18%) complete the top 10.

Aberdeen remains the least sought after area for rental properties in the UK with tenant demand at 5% followed by Swansea (8%) and Leeds (9%).

London 

Within the capital, Bexley, Bromley, Sutton and Lewisham are the hottest boroughs for tenants straight off the bat in 2020, with 38% of all rental stock listed online already being snapped up.

Merton (32%), Croydon (31%), Greenwich (30%), Haringey (29%), Enfield (29%) and Kingston (27%) are also amongst the most popular.

The high financial barrier of rental costs is evident at the top end of the ladder with Kensington and Chelsea (7%), Westminster (7%), Camden (11%), the City of London (12%) and Hammersmith and Fulham (13%) all ranking with the lowest number of properties let as a percentage of total properties listed.

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:

“The buy-to-let sector may have had a rough ride of late but the UK rental market is still heavily relied upon by many in order to put a roof over their head and as a result, many cities still provide a great opportunity for buy-to-let investors due to the lower levels of available stock and consistently high tenant demand.

When looking to invest, this combination of high demand, an affordable initial cost and a good rental yield should all be considered in order to maximise a return. For those that do their research and tick these boxes, bricks and mortar remains a very sound investment despite attempts to dampen the financial return via stamp duty hikes and changes to tax relief.

Hopefully, a newly refreshed Government will realise that the buy-to-let landlord is the backbone of the UK rental market and we need to encourage investment into the sector rather than deter it.”

UK Cities – Top 10 Highest Demand
Location
Rental demand
Newport
35%
Bristol
34%
Nottingham
33%
Cambridge
33%
Belfast
25%
Plymouth
23%
Portsmouth
23%
Bournemouth
23%
Leicester
18%
Manchester
18%
UK Cities – Top 10 Lowest Demand
Location
Rental demand
Aberdeen
5%
Swansea
8%
Leeds
9%
Edinburgh
10%
Birmingham
14%
Cardiff
14%
Newcastle
14%
Liverpool
15%
Sheffield
16%
Southampton
16%
London – Top 10 Highest Demand
Borough
Rental demand
Bexley
38%
Bromley
38%
Sutton
38%
Lewisham
38%
Merton
32%
Croydon
31%
Greenwich
30%
Haringey
29%
Enfield
29%
Kingston upon Thames
27%
London – Top 10 Highest Demand
Borough
Rental demand
Kensington and Chelsea
7%
Westminster
7%
Camden
11%
City of London
12%
Hammersmith and Fulham
13%
Ealing
14%
Brent
15%
Tower Hamlets
19%
Barnet
19%
Richmond upon Thames
20%

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