According to Rightmove, a UK property website, the north of England has become a major area for renters looking for homes during the summer months. In particular, Wallasey and Birkenhead in Merseyside were the most competitive rental markets, with an average of 30 inquiries per available rental listing in July and August. Carlisle came in third nationally, with an average of 29 inquiries per property. High competition was also noted in parts of Scotland and the south-west of England. Scotland had the highest average rental competition in the UK, with each available property receiving 19 inquiries on average. The north-west of England followed closely, with an average of 16 inquiries per listing. Across the entire UK, the average number of inquiries per property during the summer months was 11, which is lower than the 12 recorded the previous year and significantly below the peak of 28 in 2022. Rightmove measured inquiries by tracking how many times prospective tenants contacted letting agents to request to view a property. The analysis ranked 1,000 locations across the UK based on the number of inquiries each rental listing received. Areas with fewer than 25 new rental listings and 25 rental transactions were excluded from the study to ensure accurate comparisons. Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, noted that while the rental market has seen an improvement in supply compared to recent years, certain areas still face intense competition. She said that the North West, in particular, had six of the ten most competitive locations, with Scotland showing the highest average competition in the UK. Babcock advised renters to start their search early and be prepared with necessary information to increase their chances of securing a rental property when it becomes available. Aneisha Beveridge, research director at Connells Group, added that the rental market is showing trends similar to house prices over the past decade, with lower-cost areas in the North outperforming those in the South and gradually reducing the historical price gap between the two regions. Rightmove also provided average rent prices and inquiry numbers for several locations. For example, Birkenhead and Wallasey both had 30 inquiries per listing, with average rents of £874 and £975 respectively. Carlisle had 29 inquiries with an average rent of £913, and Glasgow had 28 inquiries with an average rent of £1,181. Other areas, such as Kingswood in Bristol and Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, had lower numbers of inquiries but higher average rents.