Nottingham letting agents are the busiest in Britain
The latest research from Propoly reveals that across Britain’s major cities, there are an average of 13.5 rental listings for each single letting agency branch, with the nation’s busiest agents found in Nottingham where this figure climbs to 35 properties per professional.
Propoly has analysed the estimated number of current rental listings in 21 of Britain’s major cities and compared it to the estimated number of letting agency branches operating in each respective location to identify where the nation’s busiest agents are currently located.
The analysis reveals that there are an estimated 72,537 rental listings across the 21 cities, and 5,382 branches to handle them. This suggests that each individual branch is currently dealing with an average of 13.5 properties.
However, this national look does not do justice to agents in some cities who, the localised data reveals, are significantly busier than the average.
Nowhere are agents managing a larger portfolio of listings than in Nottingham. The Midlands powerhouse currently has an estimated 3,714 rental listings, and 106 branches, which means that there are 35 properties per office.
In Leeds, there is one office for every 30.5 properties, and in Newcastle, the estimate is 21.1 properties.
This is followed by Birmingham (18.7), Leicester (18.6), Sheffield (18.6), Bournemouth (18.2), Plymouth (17.7), Bristol (16.4), and Southampton (16).
Meanwhile, the quietest city is Newport, where there are just 5.2 listings for every one branch, followed by Glasgow (7.2), Manchester (10.1), Swansea (10.2), Sunderland (10.7), and London (10.7).
Sim Sekhon, Group CEO at Propoly, commented:
“These figures highlight just how operationally stretched many letting agents are, particularly in high demand cities such as Nottingham, Leeds and Newcastle, where the volume of listings per agent is well above the national average.
When an agent is responsible for 30 or more properties at any one time, the pressure is not just about marketing and viewings. It extends to referencing, compliance checks, document management, landlord communication and ensuring every tenancy progresses smoothly from offer to move-in. As portfolios grow, so too does the risk of delays, administrative bottlenecks and compliance oversights.
What this research really underlines is the growing need for smarter systems and streamlined processes. Agents are not short of demand. In many cases, they are short of time. Platforms that automate repetitive tasks, centralise documentation and provide full transparency across the tenancy journey allow agents to maintain high service standards without increasing headcount.
Ultimately, landlords judge their letting agent on efficiency, compliance and communication. In today’s market, where some agents are juggling more than double the national average number of listings, having the right progression infrastructure in place is no longer a luxury. It is essential to delivering a professional, scalable and class-leading service.”
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