Tenant demand across England remained strong during the first quarter of 2026, new figures suggest.
The Letting Partnership’s rental market index analyses tenant demand across each county in England, looking at what proportion of total rental market listings have already been marked as ‘let agreed’, providing a gauge of how quickly available stock is being snapped up by tenants.
Across England as a whole, demand has climbed by 2.3% over the quarter, although it remains marginally down on an annual basis, dipping by -0.9%.
Despite this slight annual easing, a substantial share of available rental stock continues to be secured at pace, with more deposits, rents in advance and landlord funds passing through agent client accounts as a result.
This not only reinforces the ongoing imbalance between supply and tenant appetite, but also concentrates client money exposure in the busiest rental markets and increases the importance of strong operational and compliance processes.
Highest rental demand
West Sussex is home to the strongest level of tenant demand in Q1, where 51.6% of all rental listings have already been let agreed. Suffolk also ranks highly at 47.0%, followed by Shropshire at 44.2%.
Wiltshire and Somerset both record demand levels of 43.5%, with the Isle of Wight close behind at 42.9%. Cornwall also posts a strong 42.8%, while Cumbria (41.2%), Bedfordshire (41.0%) and Hertfordshire (40.6%) complete the top 10.
Strongest quarterly increases
When it comes to quarterly movement, Rutland has seen the most significant uplift in demand, climbing by 16.3% in Q1. The Isle of Wight has also seen a notable increase of 12.4%, while Shropshire is up 11.3%.
Suffolk has recorded a 10.0% increase, with Staffordshire (9.9%) and Cornwall (9.4%) also seeing strong quarterly growth. West Sussex has climbed by 8.0%, while Lancashire (7.5%), Dorset (7.0%) and Hertfordshire (6.6%) also feature among the strongest performers.
Strongest annual growth
Looking at annual trends, Cumbria has seen the largest increase in demand, rising by 7.5% over the last year. Shropshire follows at 6.8%, with Warwickshire up 6.5%.
North Yorkshire has seen a 2.8% increase, while Lancashire (2.5%), West Yorkshire (2.3%) and East Riding of Yorkshire (2.2%) also report notable gains. South Yorkshire (1.9%), Staffordshire (1.7%) and Northumberland (1.1%) complete the top 10 for annual growth.
The continued strength of tenant demand across both quarterly and annual measures highlights the sustained pressure facing the rental sector.
