--- title: UK Rental Stock Supply Shortage as Demand Increases by 50% and Pushing Rents Up description: An investigation by the BBC and Zoopla shows a sharp drop in the volume of available rental units in the past 18 months. image: https://blog.magnateassets.com/hubfs/2023127124914-microsoftteams-image-7%20(1).png --- [![logo](https://blog.magnateassets.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo.png?width=216&height=50&name=logo.png "logo")](https://magnateassets.com/) × - [Properties](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/searchresult) - [Off-Plan](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/searchresult?proType=Off-Plan) - [Completed](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/searchresult?proType=Completed) - [High Yield Investing](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/high-yield-investing) - [HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation)](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-hmo) - [Student Accommodations](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-student-accommodations) - [Property Sourcing](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-sourcing) - [Property Concierge](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-concierge) - [Land Options](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/searchresult?proFor=Local&proType=Land%20Options&country=UK) - [Property Bonds (Promissory Notes)](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-bonds) - [Buildings](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/searchresult?proType=Buildings) - [Build-to-Rent Projects](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/build-to-rent-projects) - [Equity Investments](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/equity-investments) - [Funding Partnerships](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/funding-partnerships) - [Locations](https://magnateassets.com/en/location) - Resources - [Blog](https://blog.magnateassets.com) - [Podcast/Webinars](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/video-gallery) - [Guides](https://info.magnateassets.com/guides) - Finance, Tax & Legal - [Mortgage Calculator](https://magnateassets.com/en/mortgage-calculator) - [Mortgages & Finance](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/mortgages-and-finance) - [Property Transfer & Legal](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/property-transfer-and-legal) - [Tax Planning and Set up](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/tax-planning-and-set-up) - [UK Immigration Information](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/uk-immigration-information) - [Managing Your Properties](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/managing-your-properties) - [Furniture Packs](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/furniture-packs) - About Us - [Meet the Team](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/meet-the-team) - [Contact Us](https://magnateassets.com/en/contact-us) - [UK Property Investment](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/for-uk-property-investment) - [Developer Partnerships](https://www.magnateassets.com/en/developer-partnerships) # UK Rental Stock Supply Shortage as Demand Increases by 50% and Pushing Rents Up Published by Keith Egan on Mar 30, 2023 An investigation by the BBC and Zoopla shows a sharp drop in the volume of available rental units in the past 18 months. Lettings agencies typically have 10 rentals compared to over 16 before September 2021, according to figures shared with the BBC by Zoopla. It suggests that the number of rental properties UK hasn't fallen but has remained roughly static since 2016 - but demand for rented accommodation has risen to more than 50 percent above normal levels, Zoopla's figures show which is pushing rents and yields higher. The portal draws its information from listings on its website, which covers 85 percent of UK properties listed for rent. Existing tenants, aware of the shortage, choose not to move, the portal says. "We've seen a big increase in demand for rented housing from record high immigration, the economy reopening \[after the pandemic\]" states Richard Donnell, executive director for research at Zoopla. "But at the same time, we just haven't seen much new investment by landlords in rented housing. And that's creating a real crunch in availability." The BBC investigation says some landlords are leaving the market and cashing in - 11 percent of homes for sale on Zoopla were previously rented. For others, short-term lets such as holiday lets or Airbnb offer better returns than long-term tenants. Zoopla has seen a three-fold increase in short-term lets since 2019. Topics: [Insider](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/insider), [UK Property](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/uk-property), [Real Estate Market](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/real-estate-market), [Market Trends](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/market-trends), [Events](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/events), [Rents](https://blog.magnateassets.com/tag/rents) ![Keith Egan](https://blog.magnateassets.com/hubfs/image.png) Written by [Connect on LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-egan-a4585613a/) [Keith Egan](https://blog.magnateassets.com/author/keith-egan) Keith Egan has spent 30+ years in senior real estate roles across the UK, Dubai and the MENA region. As Director and Co-Founder of Magnate Group, he leads Magnate Assets focused on UK residential investment, lead generation and digital marketing and the Magnate Investments Division, Magnate's development finance and structured investment arm. Keith specialises in connecting landowners, developers and investors with regulated, technology-driven funding structures and fractional ownership solutions, bridging institutional-grade UK real estate with a wider pool of domestic and international capital. - #### Share: - [![](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/445465/icon/facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.magnateassets.com/uk-rental-stock-supply-shortage-as-demand-increases-by-50-and-pushing-rents-up) - [![](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/445465/icon/twitter-sign.svg)](https://twitter.com/share?text=UK%20Rental%20Stock%20Supply%20Shortage%20as%20Demand%20Increases%20by%2050%%20and%20Pushing%20Rents%20Up&url=https://blog.magnateassets.com/uk-rental-stock-supply-shortage-as-demand-increases-by-50-and-pushing-rents-up&hashtags=weareawesome&via=bluleadz) - [![](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/445465/icon/linkedin.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.magnateassets.com/uk-rental-stock-supply-shortage-as-demand-increases-by-50-and-pushing-rents-up) [Back to Blog](https://blog.magnateassets.com) ### Popular Blogs \[Insider, UK Property, Real Estate Market, Market Trends, Events, Rents\] - 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