What do renters really want? ...

Whether you are looking to add to your portfolio by acquiring a new property or preparing to re-let any of your existing properties, it is important to understand what tenants are looking for when searching for a new home.

Different tenants understandably have different needs, but new research by Zoopla has attempted to establish some common factors that appeal to tenants of all kinds.

The research found that parking is the number one requirement for renters, while pet-friendly rentals are growing in popularity, with the search term ‘pets’ ranking as the third most popular across Great Britain on the firm’s multiple property-related websites.

Zoopla analysed search data from its keyword property search tool to reveal the nation’s most sought-after features of a rental home, and aside from ‘parking’, it was noted that ‘garage’ and ‘furnished’ also ranked highly.

The findings come at a time when the average motorist in the UK spends 91 hours every year looking for parking spaces according to research by the British Parking Association (BPA).

Rental homes that allow pets are also in high demand across the nation, with the search term ‘pets’ featuring in the top three most searched property features in every region across Great Britain.

Annabel Dixon, spokesperson for Zoopla, comments: “Parking and garages were a consistent requirement for tenants across the nation. While this may not be the most exciting feature of a home, our research clearly shows that landlords can make their properties much more attractive by creating or enhancing existing parking. Whether they re-landscape their garden to include a driveway or apply to drop the kerb outside their house, these changes could pay dividends.”

Top 10 key word searches across Great Britain

Rank	Keyword
1	Parking
2	Garage
3	Pets
4	Furnished
5	Garden
6	Student
7	Bills included
8	Balcony
9	Bungalow
10	Detached

Source: Zoopla, March 2019

On a regional level, renters in London have commonly searched for ‘gym’ and ‘ensuite’, yet these terms did not appear in the top requirements for renters in any other region across Great Britain.

Meanwhile, tenants in Scotland have arguably less demanding requirements, with ‘dishwasher’ making it into the top 10 for the country.

In the North East and South West, home hunters are after countryside dwellings, with ‘rural’ and ‘cottage’ featuring on tenants’ lists of priorities in these regions. Whilst renters in the North West of England clearly enjoy the great outdoors, with ‘garden’ and ‘balcony’ featuring in the top 10 list for tenants.

Top 10 key word searches across all regions

Rank	East Midlands	East	London	North East	North West	Scotland	South East	South West	Wales	West Midlands	Yorkshire & Humber
1	Parking	Parking	Parking	Garage	Parking	Furnished	Parking	Parking	Garage	Parking	Parking
2	Garage	Garage	Garden	Parking	Pets	Pets	Garage	Garage	Parking	Garage	Garage
3	Pets	Pets	Pets	Pets	Garage	Parking	Pets	Pets	Pets	Pets	Pets
4	Furnished	Garden	Balcony	Furnished	Furnished	Garage	Garden	Student	Furnished	Furnished	Furnished
5	Bungalow	Furnished	Furnished	Bungalow	Garden	Unfurnished	Furnished	Furnished	Bungalow	Garden	Garden
6	Student	Detached	Bills included	Garden	Bungalow	Student	Student	Garden	Detached	Detached	Bungalow
7	Garden	Bungalow	Garage	Detached	Bills included	HMO	Detached	Rural	Garden	Bungalow	Unfurnished
8	Detached	Bills included	Studio	Student	Student	Ground floor	Bungalow	Bungalow	Bills included	Bills included	Bills included
9	Bills included	Conservatory	Gym	Cottage	Detached	Dishwasher	Bills included	Detached	Student	Student	Detached
10	Driveway	Student	Ensuite	Rural	Balcony	Garden	Ground floor	Cottage	Unfurnished	Conservatory	Student

Zoopla also analysed viewings data to reveal the most viewed property types across the nation. Unsurprisingly, three-bedroom houses are the most frequently viewed properties on Zoopla; this was the case for every region except for the Capital where two-bedroom flats pipped the three-bedroom house to the post

	Yorkshire	West Mids	Wales	South West	South East	Scotland	North West	North East	London	East	East Midlands
Most popular house type	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	3-bed	2-bed flat	3-bed	3-bed
Number 2	2-bed	4-bed	4-bed	4-bed	4-bed	4-bed	4-bed	2-bed	3-bed	4-bed	4-bed
Number 3	4-bed	2-bed	2-bed	2-bed	2-bed	2-bed	2-bed	4-bed	4-bed	2-bed	2-bed

Source: Zoopla, March 2019

Dixon added: “From gyms to balconies, right through to dishwashers, it is fascinating to see how the requirements of renters differ across all regions of Great Britain. With Londoners paying a premium in rent, it makes sense that these tenants are focused on high quality amenities and luxury features; whilst renters in more rural locations are looking for properties that make the most of their countryside setting.

“Three-bedroom houses have come up trumps in our ranking of the most viewed properties by house hunters. These homes appeal to a wide range of buyers and tenants, including young families who are looking for space to grow as well as downsizers who want a more manageable space that can still accommodate visitors.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.