Six in 10 landlords recorded increased tenant demand for their properties in the final quarter of 2023, Paragon Bank research has revealed.

 Research carried out on behalf of Paragon Bank showed that more than a third of landlords reported demand from tenants increased significantly during the three months to the end of December, with a further quarter experiencing slight increases.

According to the findings, only 16 per cent reported no change in demand, while just four per cent felt it had decreased.

Analysing the data regionally highlighted how demand was strongest in the North West, with three-quarters of landlords (75 per cent) reporting increases in tenant demand for the period. This was closely followed by Yorkshire & The Humber, where a similar proportion of landlords (74 per cent) identified increased tenant demand, and the East Midlands where it was reported by just over seven in 10 (71 per cent) landlords.

The survey, undertaken by BVA BDRC, also highlights a link between increased tenant demand and rental inflation. 

Rent increases were more likely to be reported by landlords in the most in-demand regions compared to the rest of the country, with the exception of the East of England. 

In each of these areas, just under nine in 10 landlords say that rents are rising currently – 89 per cent in the East Midlands, 88 per cent in the North West and 87 per cent in Yorkshire & The Humber – which compares to around eight in 10 in regions such as the South West (81 per cent) and Outer London (79 per cent).

Looking forward, half of landlords (51 per cent) are planning to increase rents across their own portfolio in the next six months, with the increased cost of running a property the key driver for those seeking to up rents (70 per cent). Other forces behind planned rent increases include alignment with broader market rents (62 per cent) and increased mortgage costs (40 per cent), although this has fallen by eight percentage points compared to Q3.

Richard Rowntree, Paragon Bank Managing Director of Mortgages, says: “Although tenant demand has come off its record highs, there remains a chronic supply demand imbalance across large parts of the country.

“Although it’s a complex issue with many factors at play, the supply and demand dynamic dictates that we pay more for goods and services that are in high demand and short supply. It is unsurprising then to see that the landlords in the regions seeing the most demand are amongst the most likely to see rents rising. This illustrates how a healthy, sufficiently supplied PRS is needed to maintain rent levels that are affordable for the millions of people that live in rented homes.”