The number of rental properties available across England fell by 12.1% during the third quarter as competition among tenants remained intense, according to analysis from Dwelly.
The property management group says rental availability has fallen by an average of 6.5% per quarter since the start of 2026, although substantial regional differences remain.
The findings add to evidence of continuing pressure on rental supply, with recent Propertymark research showing an average of 10 prospective tenants registering for every available rental property.
Separate Rightmove figures this week also showed the number of available rental homes nationally remained 2% below last year’s level, while average advertised rents outside London passed £1,400 a month for the first time.
REGIONAL SQUEEZE
Dwelly’s analysis found some of the largest average quarterly reductions in available rental listings since the start of the year in Bristol, down 23.9%, and West Yorkshire, down 22.5%.
Merseyside recorded a 17.7% reduction, followed by South Yorkshire at 15.8%, Leicestershire at 14.8% and Nottinghamshire at 14.7%.
Rental availability also fell by an average 12.8% per quarter in the West Midlands and 9.9% in Greater Manchester.
The figures point to increasingly constrained supply across a number of major urban rental markets, potentially adding to competition between prospective tenants.
SUPPLY RISES ELSEWHERE
The picture was not uniform, however. Wiltshire recorded the strongest average quarterly increase in rental availability since the start of 2026 at 17.4%, followed by West Sussex at 13.2%, Herefordshire at 9%, Suffolk at 7.8% and Bedfordshire at 7.2%.
Dwelly Head of M&A Sam Humphreys (main picture, inset) says: “The rental market is far from uniform, and what we’re seeing is that letting agents are having to navigate very different conditions depending on where they operate.
“In areas where available rental stock is falling, competition for properties can become more intense, placing greater importance on how quickly and effectively agents manage enquiries, progress tenancies and communicate with prospective tenants. But where stock is increasing, the challenge is different.
“Agents need to work harder to market available properties, attract the right tenants and minimise the time a property spends empty.”
“This is exactly where we believe technology can make a meaningful difference.”
“This is exactly where we believe technology can make a meaningful difference. By removing much of the repetitive administration from the lettings process, we’re giving our acquired agency teams more time to focus on the parts of the job that really matter, whether that’s managing high levels of tenant interest or proactively marketing properties in more competitive areas.
“Ultimately, technology should make good letting agents better at what they do. Our focus is on giving established local agencies the tools and support to respond to their own market conditions, rather than expecting every agency to operate in exactly the same way.”
