Houses dominate tenant demand outside London

Houses account for most of the homes attracting high tenant demand outside London, research reveals.

According to property management firm Rushbrook, London is the odd one out, with flats making up 71.9% of the capital’s high-demand properties.

Across England, however, houses account for 65.7% of the 15,583 properties identified as experiencing strong demand.

Flats remain the largest single property type, representing 34.3% of the total.

Landlords target family homes

The firm’s managing director, Roma Sharma, said: “For landlords, strong tenant demand is a great starting point because it can help keep void periods to a minimum, but buying the right property is only half the battle.

“How that property is managed will ultimately play a major role in protecting its appeal and performance over the longer term.”

She added: “That means keeping on top of maintenance and compliance, looking after tenants properly and ensuring the property is ready to go when one tenancy ends and another begins.

“Strong demand creates the opportunity, but good management is what helps landlords make the most of it.”

Regional demand differs

The difference becomes clearer in the East of England, where houses account for 77% of the high-demand properties identified.

In the South East, the proportion is 64.9%, compared with just 28.1% in London.

The region also contains the largest share of the high-demand properties in Rushbrook’s analysis, accounting for 27% of the total.

London represents 18%, while the East of England accounts for 16%.

East Midlands stands out

The sharpest divide is in the East Midlands, where houses make up 97.4% of properties identified as attracting high demand.

Detached homes alone account for 52.6% in the region.

Nationally, detached properties represent 27.3% of high-demand homes, with semi-detached properties accounting for 22.8%.

Terraced homes make up a further 15.6%.