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Locations in northern England were the hotspots with the strongest competition to rent a home over the summer, according to a property website.
Wallasey and Birkenhead in Merseyside were the most competitive rental markets recorded by Rightmove during July and August, averaging 30 inquiries for every available rental property.
Carlisle completed the top three, with 29 inquiries per available property on average.
Strong competition was also recorded by Rightmove in Scotland and in parts of south-west England.
Scotland also recorded the highest average level of rental competition across Britain generally, with homes available to rent in Scotland receiving an average of 19 inquiries each during July and August.
The north-west of England followed, with an average of 16 inquiries per property.
Across Britain, there were 11 inquiries on average per available rental property during July and August, which is lower than 12 typically a year earlier and also down from a peak of 28 during the same period in 2022, Rightmove said.
The website said July and August are typically the busiest months of the year for the rental market.
Inquiries were measured by prospective tenants contacting letting agents to request to view a property to rent.
Rightmove’s analysis ranked 1,000 locations across Britain by the number of inquiries each available rental listing received.
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Locations with fewer than 25 new rental listings and 25 rental transactions agreed were not included.
Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: “While rental supply has rebalanced compared with previous years, there are still locations where each available home attracts high numbers of inquiries from prospective tenants.
“The North West features particularly prominently in our findings, accounting for six of the 10 most competitive locations, while Scotland recorded the highest average level of competition anywhere in Great Britain.
“For renters, the findings are a reminder that competition can still be strong in many areas, despite the improvement in supply in recent years.
“Starting a search early and being ready with the information an agent or landlord may need can help put renters in the best possible position when a suitable property becomes available.”
Aneisha Beveridge, research director at Connells Group, said: “In many respects, the rental market is beginning to follow the same path as house prices over the last decade, with lower-cost areas across the North continuing to outperform and narrowing the historic divide with the South.”
Here are Britain’s busiest summer rental hotspots in Rightmove’s study, with the average advertised rent per month and the average number of inquiries per available rental listing:
=1. Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, £874, 30
=1. Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, £975, 30
3. Carlisle, Cumbria, North West, £913, 29
4. Glasgow, Scotland, £1,181, 28
=5. East Kilbride, Scotland, £1,049, 27
=5. Prenton, Wirral, Merseyside, North West, £1,089, 27
7. Kingswood, Bristol, South West, £1,542, 25
=8. Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, North West, £1,610, 22
=8. Morecambe, Lancashire, North West, £887, 22
10. Salisbury, Wiltshire, South West, £1,371, 21
And here are the average numbers of inquiries per available rental home across Britain, according to Rightmove:
Scotland, 19
North West, 16
South West, 12
West Midlands, 12
Yorkshire and the Humber, 12
North East, 11
Wales, 11
East of England, 10
East Midlands, 9
London, 9
South East, 9
