Renters compete with 20 others in battle to find a home

Competition among renters is truthful aggravated that determination are 20 requests to presumption each disposable property, according to information commissioned by the BBC.

The mean fig of requests to spot each location has much than tripled from six successful 2019, the figures from spot portal Rightmove show.

The queue to presumption is adjacent longer successful immoderate regions, reaching 30 successful the North West of England.

One household successful the country said uncovering a location was stressful and hard.

Demi and Andrew, who are some self-employed and person 5 children, said they faced "ridiculous prices", a deficiency of options, and a partition of soundlessness from immoderate agents earlier uncovering determination suitable adjacent Preston.

"You tin person each the wealth successful the world, but it would inactive beryllium a agelong process," said Demi arsenic she looked astir a location successful which 50 radical had shown an interest. "You spell astir successful circles. It is truthful frustrating."

Demand from prospective renters has soared arsenic rising owe rates are making location ownership a much distant imaginable and prompting immoderate landlords to merchantability up.

Following reports of tons of tenants chasing a smaller fig of properties to rent, BBC News commissioned Rightmove to trawl its information and stitchery a representation of the increasing level of contention successful the backstage rental sector.

It recovered that successful Britain, successful May, determination were typically 20 requests to presumption each disposable spot successful Britain from prospective tenants, up from 19 the erstwhile year, and six successful 2019, earlier the Covid pandemic.

In each region, the fig has tripled astatine the slightest since 2019.

Anecdotal grounds shows tenants are offering much than the asking rent, oregon arriving aboriginal to get to the beforehand of the queue.

Paul Forbes, an property cause successful Preston, said that properties were often fto aft the archetypal artifact viewing of funny home-hunters due to the fact that request is truthful high. Choosing the palmy applicant was "not a bully portion of the job", helium said.

Previous probe by the BBC precocious revealed however rental applicants with children and pets person recovered it adjacent harder to unafraid a place.

In May, the authorities confirmed it planned to prohibition no-fault evictions successful England, promising a "fairer woody for renters". But a radical of charities and campaigners said determination has been dilatory advancement since. They person written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to velocity up and fortify reforms successful the backstage rental sector.

The authorities says the reforms volition assistance make a assemblage "fit for the 21st Century" and the adjacent signifier of the measure volition travel successful owed course.

Agents accidental determination are immoderate elemental ways to marque it easier to unafraid a rental property, including:

There are much tips here and assistance connected your renting rights here.

The mismatch betwixt request from tenants and proviso from landlords has contributed to crisp increases successful rents. Landlords person besides been deed with rising costs, from repairs to important increases successful owe rates.

In the bulk of the UK, affordability of renting has been at its worst for a decade. Official figures amusement rent rising astatine its fastest yearly rate since comparable records began successful 2016.

The mean rent paid successful England is £960, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We asked Rightmove to enactment retired what benignant of properties could beryllium secured for that level of rent astir the country.

In immoderate areas - peculiarly successful London - determination was thing astatine that price. Much bigger properties were listed successful different parts of the country, though affordability would beryllium affected by people's incomes.

Aneisha Beveridge, caput of probe astatine Hamptons property agents - based successful South East England, said that rents successful London were rising the fastest due to the fact that of request arsenic workers and students returned aft Covid.

She said landlords successful the country were selling up, due to the fact that profits had dropped - with 43% less homes disposable to rent successful London compared with 2019.

"That imbalance is what is fuelling rents astatine the moment," she said.

Rent increases were apt to continue, she said, portion the illustration of tenants could besides commencement to shift. Younger radical could unrecorded with parents for longer, and much than 1 cardinal implicit 65s would beryllium renting wrong a decade.

That volition make adjacent much contention for renters similar Claudia, who is 25 and works successful income for a probe company. She and her fellow Michael, an engineer, person conscionable offered £2,150 a period - immoderate £200 much than the asking rent - for a one-bedroom London level aft a bidding war.

The outgo volition instrumentality up fractional of their combined income, but she said they had small choice.

"It was rather a stressful experience," she said.

"The [bidding war] enactment a spot of a downer connected moving successful with your spouse for the archetypal time. We were super-excited, but a fewer days aboriginal felt a spot deflated due to the fact that you are having to wage much wealth - but that's conscionable the sanction of the crippled successful London close now."