Record number of tenants in the market

Countrywide, the UK's largest letting agent, said 50,480 people wanting to rent a property registered with it during the three months to the end of June, the highest level it has recorded since it started collecting the data in 2003.

The figure was also 16 per cent higher than demand was during the first three months of the year.

June saw the biggest spike in demand with more than 18,000 new tenants registering for rented accommodation, the highest number ever recorded during a single month and 22 per cent more than in May.

But the increase in the number of people looking to rent a home contrasted with a 6 per cent fall in the number of properties being made available to let during the period.

As a result there are now an average of 5.5 tenants competing for every property, up from 4.9 tenants per property during the first quarter of the year.

Demand is highest for two-bedroom properties in the South West, where there are 23.1 people chasing each available home.

The group said the mismatch between supply and demand had led to a "marginal increase" in rents, particularly on houses, with the average cost of letting a four-bedroom home rising by 4 per cent during the quarter to 1,090.

Properties are also now being snapped up within an average of two weeks – six days less than during the final three months of 2009.

John Hards, co-managing director of Countrywide Residential Lettings, said: "The number of tenants entering the market is at unprecedented levels, and we have yet to enter the peak season."