Its rental demand index gives a quarterly overview of tenant activity, analysing rental demand based on the proportion of total rental market listings that have already had a let agreed.

The latest index shows that across England, 39.8% of rental stock has been snapped up by tenants in Q3, rising by 4.1% from the second quarter, when 35.7% of stock was rented.

However, demand for rental property was fiercer last year, when it stood at 46.0%, 6.2% higher than current levels.

West Sussex the most in-demand region of England, where 56.5% of landlords who list properties have already reached an agreement with renters.

Bristol ranks as the second most in demand rental market at present, where 55.5% of properties have already been let.

Northamptonshire sits third with rental demand at 55%, with Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Somerset, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire close behind.

Greater London is registering below-average rental demand at 32.6%, while the City of London has the weakest demand across the whole of England, at 28.6%.

Leicestershire is the fastest growing region among renters, where demand increased by 10.6% between the second and third quarters.

It’s a similar trend with West Yorkshire, where growth of 9.0% brings it up to 35.2%, while in Tyne and Wear strong quarterly growth of 10.3% has pushed demand up to 48.1%.

Demand has dropped off the most in the Isle of Wight (-16.4%), Rutland (-12.1%) and Dorset (-11.4%).

At the other end of the spectrum demand dropped year-on-year in Nottinghamshire (-15.9%).

Barrows and Forrester managing director James Forrester says: “Tenant activity is showing no signs of slowing down, which is reassuring news for the nation’s landlords who should be able to avoid lengthy void periods between tenancies as a result.

“What’s striking is demand is stronger outside of London, as properties in south coast areas like West Sussex are being rented out like hotcakes.

“Clearly a high number of tenants are still prioritising green space and having access to the coast, from which you can draw a number of conclusions.

“Tenants could be looking for more value away from major cities in commuter towns, more could be taking advantage of the post-pandemic work from home culture, while older tenants could be moving to areas more suitable for their needs, where they’re better placed to start a family.

“Regardless of the reasons, it’s encouraging that demand is rebalancing away from the capital and becoming more evenly distributed across England.”