Tenants are expecting to find and move in to new rental accommodation in ever-shorter periods of time. 

Data from property website TheHouseShop.com shows that around 31 per cent of tenants aim to move into their new home less than two weeks after they first make an enquiry to the agent or landlord online. 

The figure rises to almost two thirds of renters – 64 per cent – who need to move into their new home less than a month after making their first enquiry.

“When a tenant makes an enquiry about a property online, it can often take two to three days before they receive a reply – especially if the property is being advertised directly by a DIY landlord who will usually have a full-time job to worry about” explains Nick Marr, co-founder of the site. 

The data shows a consistent peak in the number of last minute enquiries (that is, where the tenant states they need to move in under two weeks) during the month of September over the past three years. 

This would fit with the seasonal boom in the student lettings market as students try to secure accommodation before their courses start in October. The website says this tallies with the locations of such enquiries – concentrated around big university towns like Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle.