Tenant demand across 22 major UK cities is currently higher for houses compared to flats or apartments, according to Howsy.

The online property management platform looked at what proportion of rental properties is being snapped up by tenants and how demand differed between property types.

The analysis shows that demand for houses is currently at 29% while demand for flats and apartments averages 26%.

Where househunters want to rent

Belfast is home to the highest demand for houses at 69%, with Glasgow (59%), Portsmouth (49%), Sheffield (30%) and Cardiff (27%) also ranking with the highest tenant demand for houses.

Demand for rental houses was also higher than flats in Oxford, Newcastle, Cambridge, London, Leicester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

But in some cities, flats are still proving more popular than houses with prospective tenants.

Manchester is currently home to the highest demand for flats and apartments at 57%, with the rental property type also popular in Liverpool at 53%.

Birmingham also scored high for apartment rental demand (42%), as did Nottingham (35%) and Leeds (33%). Flats were also the most popular property choice in Southampton, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Bristol, Swansea and Newport.

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, said: “There’s no denying that the current pandemic has caused a shift in tenant demand trends as many have looked for more space in the wake of initial lockdown restrictions.

“However, this trend hasn’t quite swept the nation completely and demand for flats and apartments remains robust in a number of major cities.

“As we slowly return to normality, we should see flats and apartments continue to increase in demand as our major cities reopen their doors both professionally and socially. This will be welcome news for landlords who have seen demand for flats fall and have had to slash rental prices to secure a tenant.”