London tenants have a surge of rental properties to choose from, with 40% of all rentals being listed in the past 30 days, data from London agent Benham and Reeves has found.
Havering and Waltham Forest have seen the largest influx of new rental properties become available to tenants, where those properties listed within the last 30 days account for 55% of all available rental homes across both boroughs.
Lewisham has also seen a significant increase in the level of rental stock available to tenants (54%), along with Haringey (52%) and Sutton (50%).
Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves, said: “The London rental market is fiercely competitive and it’s not unusual for us to see properties let before they’ve even reached the market, with multiple tenants fighting it out and offering to pay larger deposits, multiple months rent upfront, or even higher asking rents in order to secure a home.
“At the same time, stock availability can be a major issue and we simply can’t bring homes onto the market quick enough to meet the demand from tenants.
“However, as with any aspect of the market, the London rental sector is cyclical in nature and so it can help to know what time of year is best when starting your search.
“For example, the summer months can be far quieter due to the fact that many tenants have made their move for the year ahead already, whilst those looking to next year aren’t likely to start until the autumn months.
“What’s more, we’ve seen a considerable surge in the level of stock available across all London boroughs over the last month, so not only are you likely to have less competition, but you should also have more rental properties to choose from.”
There are some 40,067 rental properties currently listed to let across the London rental market, of which 16,116 were added in the past 30 days.