Tenants are rushing to rent properties in Bradford more than in any other English city – as a lack of stock means renters are forced to rapidly snap up anything that’s available.

In Bradford just 1.2% of stock is available to rent, at 500 rental dwellings out of 42,700 in the West Yorkshire city.

The analysis comes from Tlyfe, the UK’s number one tenant app launched by OpenBrix, which estimated the proportion and volume of rental stock available in 2023 across major English cities.

While Bradford is known for its affordability and close proximity to Manchester and Leeds.

Adam Pigott, chief executive of OpenBrix, said: “Finding a value-for-money rental property can feel like a rat race, as you compete with others for limited stock.

“There’s been a particular lack of homes available to rent in Bradford, Manchester and London, meaning aspiring tenants in the cities in particular are forced to jump at the chance to rent any home that ticks the boxes.

“This emphasis on speed makes it imperative that tenants take steps to make themselves attractive to landlords ahead of time, by securing references, undertaking a credit check, and supplying proof of income.

Manchester & London

After Bradford comes the usual suspects in terms of the busiest rental markets – Manchester and London.

Across Greater Manchester 2.4% of rental stock is available, followed by 2.9% in London, indicating that properties aren’t listed for long before being snapped up by tenants.

One positive is both cities are heavily populated, meaning there’s still thousands of properties to choose from. In Manchester tenants have 5,800 properties to rent, while there are 34,000 in London.

Nottingham a tenant-friendly city

It’s easier to be a new tenant in Nottingham, where 13.8% of rental dwellings are available, at 5,700 out of 41,600.

This means tenants are likely to be in the driving seat when it comes to selecting a property in the East Midlands city, pushing landlords to drive up the standards of their homes if they want to attract the most reliable tenants.

Things are also more balanced in Leeds and Newcastle, where tenants can select from 6,500 and 1,900 rental properties respectively, at 9.3% and 6.3% of rental stock across both markets.

Via @PropertyWire