Houses dominate England’s high-demand rental space

Research from Rushbrook has found that just under two-thirds of properties experiencing high levels of rental demand across England are not flats but family homes.

Rushbrook analysed 15,583 properties identified as experiencing high rental demand across England, looking at where these properties are located and the types of homes attracting the strongest levels of rental demand.

Flats remain the single most common property type amongst those experiencing high rental demand, accounting for 34.3% of the total.

However, houses collectively account for 65.7%, with detached properties making up 27.3% of high-demand rental homes, semi-detached properties accounting for 22.8% and terraced homes a further 15.6%.

In terms of geography, the South East accounts for the largest share of the high-demand rental properties identified.

Rushbrook identified 4,191 properties in this space, equating to 27% of the national total.

London ranks second, accounting for 18%, or 2,869 properties, followed by the East of England at 16%, with 2,562. Combined, the South East and East of England account for 43% of all high-demand rental properties identified, compared with 18% in London.

There is also a substantial difference in the types of properties attracting strong rental demand across these markets.

Within London, flats dominate, accounting for 71.9% of high-demand rental properties. In contrast, almost two-thirds (64.9%) of those identified in the South East are houses, rising to 77% in the East of England.

The divide is even more pronounced in the East Midlands, where houses account for 97.4% of high-demand rental properties, with detached homes alone accounting for more than half (52.6%).

“The lettings landscape has evolved considerably in modern times and whilst flats remain the most in demand property type within the rental market, we’re now seeing higher demand for alternative property types such as larger houses,” said Roma Sharma, managing director at Rushbrook.

“This is down to the fact that people are renting for longer and across a much broader range of life stages, with affordability issues with respect to homeownership preventing many from making the move onto the property ladder.

“As a result, their housing requirements are increasingly diverse.”