England’s rental market expands as stock levels hit new high

Rental stock has surged across the UK, but some regional gaps persist, according to new data.

Tenancy platform Propoly reveals England’s rental listings have climbed by an average of 7.4% in the past year, led by an 86.6% increase in Tyne and Wear.

However, a number of places such as Norfolk and East Sussex have seen listings fall.

Scale of growth is striking in Tyne and Wear

According to findings by Propoly, rental stock across England has increased from 114,178 listings in August 2025 to an estimated 122,659 today.

The scale of growth is particularly striking in Tyne and Wear, where rental listings have risen from 1,855 to 3,462, an increase of more than 86%.

Greater Manchester has recorded the nation’s second-largest increase, with rental listings rising by 28.4%, followed by Rutland, where listings are up 23.1%. The City of London has also seen rental stock increase by 21.5%.

Somerset recorded a 20.4% increase in listings, followed by Northumberland at 19.0%. Wiltshire and Hampshire have both seen rental stock rise by 18.4%, while Worcestershire recorded an 18.3% increase.

Leicestershire completes the top ten, with listings up 17.3% year-on-year.

Greater availability should provide tenants with more choice

Sim Sekhon, group CEO at Propoly, said: “The increase in Tyne and Wear is striking, particularly when set against the more measured rise seen across England as a whole. While greater availability should provide tenants with more choice, the extent of the increase also underlines how quickly local rental markets can change.

“What is clear is that there is no single national rental market. Agents in areas such as Tyne and Wear are managing a significant expansion in available stock, while those operating in other parts of the country are contending with considerably fewer listings than a year ago.”

The research reveals the Isle of Wight has seen rental listings fall by -35.2% on the year, while Warwickshire has seen a decline of -10.8%, and numbers in Norfolk are down -9.6%.

West Yorkshire has seen rental stock decrease by -9.3%, followed by Suffolk (-9.1%) and East Sussex (-8.9%). Shropshire has recorded a -5.6% decline, while Devon and Staffordshire have seen listings fall by -5.2% and -4.5% .