Rightmove has identified Birkenhead and Wallasey as Britain’s most competitive summer rental markets, with each available home attracting an average of 30 enquiries in July and August.
Carlisle followed on 29 enquiries per property, while Glasgow recorded 28 and East Kilbride and Prenton each reached 27. Six of the 10 busiest locations were in the North West, according to the portal’s latest local analysis.
A landlord weighing a purchase or re-let in these areas cannot assume that a large response automatically supports any asking rent. The figures measure calls and emails requesting a viewing, rather than completed tenancies, and an unusually busy market can still punish poor presentation or an over-ambitious price.
North West rental demand remains above the national picture
Across Great Britain, the average available rental home drew 11 enquiries during July and August, down from 12 a year earlier and well below the summer 2022 peak of 28. It remains above the pre-pandemic summer average of eight, however, showing that the national easing has not removed pressure from the most affordable local markets.
The rental figures sit alongside Residential Landlord’s recent coverage of Rightmove’s September sales data, which showed a wider choice for buyers. The contrast is important for investors: sales stock and rental competition are moving differently, and local tenant demand still needs checking street by street.
Rightmove defines an enquiry as a prospective tenant phoning or emailing a letting agent to request a viewing. Its wider rental market tracker has also pointed to pronounced regional differences in supply, demand and rent growth.
What investors should test before setting a rent
The Wirral results make a case for looking beyond a broad regional average. Birkenhead’s typical advertised rent was £874 per month and Wallasey’s was £975, while the local response rate was identical. Carlisle paired 29 enquiries with a typical rent of £913.
That pattern suggests affordability is part of the draw, but it does not remove the need for evidence on comparable lets, voids and tenant suitability. Landlords should also separate enquiry volumes from viewing attendance and completed applications before treating a hotspot ranking as an income forecast.
Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “July and August are typically the busiest months of the year for the rental market, and our analysis shows that competition remains particularly strong in some parts of Great Britain.”
For a broader rental-market comparison, Residential Landlord’s September report on homes leaving the rental market found that 562 rental homes a day had been sold in the third quarter. The new Rightmove breakdown gives that supply story a sharper local edge.
High enquiry numbers also create a workload issue for agents and self-managing landlords. A clear advert, accurate availability date and a structured viewing process can prevent applicants spending time on homes that are already close to being let. That is better for applicants and helps landlords judge the quality, rather than simply the volume, of demand. A rapid but well-documented letting process can also reduce the chance of disputes over who was offered the tenancy and why.
Opinion
Thirty enquiries for a single rental home is a warning against lazy national averages, not a licence to push rents without restraint. The strongest landlords will use local demand to reduce void risk while keeping the home well maintained and the rent defensible. In a market where tenants have more choice nationally, that distinction matters.
