Rental stock across England has plummeted by as much as 42% across some areas following the introduction of the Renters Rights Act.

This is according to industry supplier The Letting Partnership.

It claims there are more than 15,500 fewer homes now available to tenants compared with the previous quarter.

And it says the number of properties available to rent fell from 127,696 in Q2 2026 to just 112,190 in Q3 – a quarterly reduction of 12.1%.

The City of London has seen the largest quarterly reduction, with available rental stock falling by 42.4%, while Bristol has recorded a 36% decline.

Merseyside has seen rental availability fall by 30.5% quarter-on-quarter, with Greater Manchester down 20.5%.

Oxfordshire and the West Midlands have both seen stock fall by 19%, while Greater London has recorded an 18% quarterly reduction.

South Yorkshire has seen rental stock fall by 17.9%, followed by West Yorkshire at 16.9%, Nottinghamshire at 15.7%, and both Leicestershire and Tyne and Wear at 14.7%.

Chris Mason, chief executive at The Letting Partnership, says: “One of the concerns throughout the build-up to rental reform was that the additional regulatory and compliance burden could deter landlords from remaining within the sector.

“Such a notable reduction in rental stock availability so soon after the Act came into force is certainly going to add fuel to those concerns.”