Nearly a third of rental listings are already let agreed
Tenant demand across England continued to strengthen during the second quarter of 2026, with 29.7% of all rental listings already securing a tenant and demand up by 2.3% over the quarter and 0.3% higher than the same time last year, according to the latest figures from The Letting Partnership’s Rental Market Index.
Regionally, West Sussex is still seeing the strongest level of tenant demand in England, with 49.8% of all rental listings already marked as let agreed. Rutland has climbed to second place at 48.4%, while Cumbria (45.0%), Gloucestershire (44.7%) and Warwickshire (44.3%) have also witnessed strong demand.
Suffolk (43.9%), Cornwall (43.3%), Hertfordshire (42.6%), the Isle of Wight (42.3%), and Shropshire (42.3%) are also in the top ten.
Rutland sees strongest growth
By quarter, Rutland also recorded the largest quarterly increase in tenant demand, up by 9.0% during the second quarter. Worcestershire saw an 8.6% uplift, followed by Norfolk (7.6%), Gloucestershire (7.3%), the City of London (7.2%), and Oxfordshire (7.1%).
West Yorkshire saw quarterly growth of 6.9%, Lincolnshire 6.3%, Warwickshire 5.5%, and South Yorkshire 5.5%.
Annual growth was also highest in Rutland, with tenant demand increasing by 18.6% compared with Q2 2025. Norfolk saw 9.9% annual growth and Warwickshire 8.2%.
Cumbria posted annual growth of 6.6%, the City of Bristol 4.3%, Nottinghamshire 3.9%, Shropshire 3.4%, and Lincolnshire 3.3%.
Chris Mason, COO of The Letting Partnership, said: “Tenant demand has continued to build through the second quarter, which is encouraging for the wider rental market but also reinforces the operational pressures many letting agents continue to face, especially in a post Renters’ Rights Act market.
