Garage space is currently top of the tenant wish list for 2021
The latest research by lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed which rental property features are currently the most in-demand amongst UK tenants.
Benham and Reeves looked at tenant demand across 23 major UK cities, analysing thousands of rental market listings for property features including gardens, garages, balconies, a concierge service, pet-friendly properties, properties with bills included and those that come fully furnished.
Major UK Cities
There’s one clear winner where the current most in-demand rental feature is concerned and that’s the humble garage. Tenant demand for rental homes with a garage is currently at 21%, making it the most in-demand of all rental property features.
Gardens weren’t far behind with tenant demand currently at 18% for properties with some outdoor space, while balconies also ranked high with demand at 16%.
Fully furnished rental properties were the next most in-demand amongst tenants (13%), followed by a concierge service (12%) and properties with bills included (11%).
Pet-friendly properties were the least in-demand at just 8%.
Looking at the result on a city by city basis, 14 of the 23 cities analysed had the highest demand for more outside and inside space, with garages, balconies and gardens ranking top.
A concierge was the most in-demand feature in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, while furnished homes were most in-demand in Belfast.
Pet-Friendly Hotspots
However, in seven major cities, pet-friendly properties topped the table as the most in-demand rental feature. These included Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Leicester, Swansea, Oxford and Bournemouth.
London
The same analysis across each London borough found that while demand levels differ, tenants still valued the same rental property features in the same priority order as the rest of the UK.
Across London’s boroughs, a concierge, a balcony, a garage and garden ranked as the most in-demand features for tenants, while furnished homes ranked top or joint top in Bexley, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Westminster.
Just Havering saw pet-friendly properties rank as the most-demand amongst the capital’s tenants.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented:
“The Covid inspired trend of more space hasn’t been confined to the homebuying sector and rental demand for gardens and balconies has soared since the first lockdown back in the spring of last year.
However, with winter well and truly here and the third period of lockdown restrictions in full swing, some additional inside space in the form of a garage is top of the tenant wish list in the current market.
This additional space enables tenants to carry on with their home workouts, or other hobbies acquired during the pandemic without the need to brave the cold temperatures and longer nights. Of course, an outdoor space also remains in high demand with many keeping an eye on the approaching spring and summer seasons. Although fingers crossed, we may have seen some form of normality return by this point.”
Data shows tenant demand for each rental feature by city/London borough. Most in-demand features for each city are highlighted in yellow.
Tenant demand based on the number of properties already marked as having a let agreed as a percentage of all rental properties listed when filtered by each property feature.
Data sourced from Zoopla and Rightmove (14/01/2021)
| Location | Furnished | Pets | Bills Included | Garden | Garage | Balcony | Concierge Service |
| Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | |
| Bristol | 21% | 45% | 5% | 31% | 35% | 38% | 15% |
| Glasgow | 19% | 4% | 0% | 24% | 22% | 28% | 18% |
| Sheffield | 13% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 22% | 21% | 19% |
| Leeds | 10% | 16% | 9% | 19% | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Plymouth | 25% | 54% | 18% | 49% | 42% | 28% | 35% |
| Portsmouth | 16% | 25% | 7% | 39% | 39% | 31% | 18% |
| Nottingham | 34% | 32% | 37% | 38% | 41% | 44% | 32% |
| Belfast | 33% | 0% | N\A | 40% | 33% | 29% | N/A |
| Cambridge | 15% | 13% | 13% | 26% | 29% | 32% | 14% |
| Cardiff | 20% | 20% | 18% | 26% | 28% | 38% | 23% |
| Southampton | 17% | 70% | 18% | 23% | 30% | 39% | 53% |
| Liverpool | 13% | 3% | 11% | 20% | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| Birmingham | 17% | 6% | 9% | 26% | 27% | 19% | 20% |
| Newport | 53% | 69% | N\A | 60% | 66% | 75% | 0% |
| Manchester | 5% | 9% | 8% | 17% | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Leicester | 14% | 38% | 14% | 22% | 23% | 14% | 20% |
| Edinburgh | 4% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 13% |
| Swansea | 6% | 21% | 4% | 14% | 14% | 18% | 5% |
| Oxford | 19% | 33% | 4% | 26% | 29% | 19% | 3% |
| Newcastle | 17% | 14% | 27% | 34% | 23% | 24% | 7% |
| London | 13% | 4% | 6% | 15% | 16% | 14% | 11% |
| Bournemouth | 33% | 52% | 30% | 39% | 41% | 48% | 35% |
| Aberdeen | 3% | 2% | 0% | 3% | 3% | 0% | 4% |
| All Cities | 13% | 8% | 11% | 18% | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Location | Furnished | Pets | Bills Included | Garden | Garage | Balcony | Porter |
| Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | Demand | |
| Waltham Forest | 25% | 0% | 16% | 31% | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| Havering | 38% | 67% | 20% | 45% | 53% | 42% | 21% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 24% | 0% | 11% | 23% | 31% | 6% | 10% |
| Bromley | 28% | 6% | 21% | 36% | 37% | 36% | 20% |
| Bexley | 78% | 33% | 33% | 51% | 48% | 45% | 33% |
| Sutton | 23% | 14% | 14% | 42% | 42% | 41% | 46% |
| Hillingdon | 22% | 3% | 10% | 25% | 26% | 17% | 28% |
| Enfield | 23% | 0% | 13% | 30% | 30% | 29% | 10% |
| Redbridge | 18% | 10% | 9% | 23% | 21% | 28% | 54% |
| Lewisham | 20% | 2% | 13% | 24% | 27% | 23% | 20% |
| Haringey | 17% | 2% | 10% | 20% | 17% | 25% | 27% |
| Greenwich | 17% | 2% | 5% | 22% | 24% | 20% | 20% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 20% | 14% | 60% | 37% | 31% | 27% | 24% |
| Croydon | 23% | 11% | 14% | 30% | 33% | 32% | 27% |
| Harrow | 19% | 0% | 19% | 26% | 26% | 24% | 26% |
| Merton | 26% | 13% | 4% | 23% | 25% | 31% | 27% |
| Barnet | 12% | 7% | 12% | 16% | 17% | 12% | 8% |
| Hackney | 18% | 2% | 9% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| Southwark | 15% | 4% | 5% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Hounslow | 20% | 0% | 9% | 21% | 22% | 16% | 15% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 21% | 14% | 23% | 24% | 23% | 25% | 53% |
| Wandsworth | 18% | 2% | 10% | 19% | 17% | 17% | 13% |
| Brent | 11% | 2% | 8% | 12% | 14% | 9% | 8% |
| Islington | 18% | 7% | 4% | 19% | 15% | 19% | 16% |
| Newham | 23% | 7% | 7% | 23% | 21% | 19% | 20% |
| Ealing | 14% | 5% | 10% | 15% | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Lambeth | 17% | 3% | 8% | 19% | 18% | 19% | 13% |
| Camden | 9% | 4% | 5% | 10% | 8% | 11% | 7% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 12% | 7% | 7% | 16% | 11% | 13% | 7% |
| Tower Hamlets | 15% | 3% | 4% | 12% | 14% | 14% | 14% |
| City of London | 12% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 4% | 13% | 9% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 5% | 4% | 2% | 6% | 8% | 8% | 4% |
| Westminster | 6% | 2% | 3% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 4% |
| London | 13% | 4% | 6% | 15% | 16% | 14% | 11% |
