Renting in the UK has undergone quite a transformation over the past 15 years. Properties now can be let in just a single day – or even within a few hours.
Whether you’re an experienced landlord or just getting started, knowing when demand is high and competition is low can help you attract the right tenants and fill vacancies more quickly.
That’s why we’ve worked out the best month and week for you to list your properties…
- The best month to advertise your rental property
- Should landlords focus on the start or end of the month?
- Can landlords control when their properties enter the market?
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The best month to advertise your rental property
Based on our latest data, August is the top month for landlords to advertise their rental properties, as it sees the highest number of enquiries per listing.
On average, landlords receive about 13.5% more enquiries per listing in August compared to other months, making it an excellent time to find tenants quickly.
This end-of-summer surge in demand can be driven by factors like students looking for accommodation before the new academic year, graduates starting new jobs, and even families moving during the summer break.
If you want to test this for yourself, you can always change the length of your next fixed-term agreement. This way, the next time you need to find a new tenant, it will be in August.
While it’s not always useful to create a tenancy shorter than six months (since you can’t evict a tenant during the first six months of an assured shorthold tenancy), you can extend the term to any length beyond this, such as seven or 16 months, to align with the peak of the summer months.
Enquiries per listing typically decrease towards the end of the year, starting in October and dropping the most in November and December
In November, enquiries tend to fall by about 26.4% compared to the average, and in December, they drop by around 20.4%, likely due to the holiday season.
However, this pattern is a common trend, and advertising with OpenRent can still be effective during these months.
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- Tenant Fees Act 2019: A Guide for Landlords
Should landlords focus on the start or end of the month?
Our data shows that the first half of each month tends to be busier for enquiries.
On average, the first week of the month sees about 3.7% more enquiries per available listing. This makes it a great time for your property to get noticed.
As you can see, interest remains high during the first two weeks of the month. This is likely because many tenants start looking for a new place before their current tenancy ends, which often happens at the end of the month.
Plus, since most people get paid at the end of the month, they have the money to secure a new place and cover any move-in costs at the start of the next month.
Can landlords control when their properties enter the market?
Timing your adverts can help you find tenants faster, but you need control over when your property goes live to make the most of these insights.
With OpenRent, you can create a listing in minutes and have it appear on major property websites within hours.
On top of that, you can rely on our professional-grade tenancy creation service Rent Now to help you follow all the steps for setting up a tenancy correctly and legally.
While we provide insights and recommendations based on current data to help landlords make informed decisions, OpenRent cannot guarantee specific results. Outcomes may vary depending on numerous factors, including market conditions, property type, and individual circumstances.
