The difficulty in securing a rented property has been underlined after one lettings agency revealed there were, on average, 21 applicants chasing each new home coming onto the market.

It prompted the agency’s boss to declare it “the toughest time” she’s known in her 20-years of experience in the sector.

The primary cause of the demand is a reduction in available homes - fuelled by landlords selling up.

They are leaving the rental market due to increased interest rates sending mortgage payments up, additional costs to ensure homes are energy efficient and various changes to legislation, such as what’s known as Section 24, introduced in 2017, which restricted tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages.

It was introduced by the then-Conservative government and was designed to create a more level playing field between buy-to-let landlords and first-time buyers.

The lack of properties and increased costs have also seen sharp hikes in rents for tenants.

In Folkestone, the cost of renting in the district, according to a KentOnline report last year, was up 36% since 2019. All Kent districts saw increases - all but one (Canterbury - up 15%) increasing by more than 21%.

Explains Victoria Henham, manager of ABC Lettings in Ashford: “The shortage of quality homes for rent across Kent is acute – in Ashford there are 21 applicants chasing every rental property new to the market.

“In the 20 years I have been involved in the industry, this is the toughest time for people to access housing in the private rental market.”

The lettings agency manages more than 200 properties across the borough and into Folkestone and Hythe, and is managed by Ashford council.

According to government data, between October and December 2023, 5,400 households in the private rented sector in England qualified for council support to prevent homelessness after their landlord decided to sell the property.

Between April and June 2024, this rose to 7,130 households.

ABC Lettings says data it has reveals around 50% of people approaching the council for housing advice during 2024 did so due to their landlord selling.

The agency says its figures show selling a property is the single biggest reason for a landlord to end a tenancy, almost three times higher than the next most common reason.

New legislation coming into force later this year is also set to add further pressure to the problem.

The Renters Reform Bill, due to become law this summer, is forcing more landlords to consider selling up and leaving the market. While the bill will mean landlords cannot sell a property in the first 12 months of a tenancy, ABC Lettings argues more needs to be done to encourage responsible landlords to keep rental properties in the first place.

Government data quoted by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) shows a third of landlords (31%) are planning to sell properties they rent out in the next two years, up from 22%.

This is the toughest time for people to access housing in the private rental market

In contrast, just 7% say they are planning to provide new homes to rent in the next two years, compared with 11% in 2021.

Adds ABC Lettings’ Victoria Henham: “Tenants need greater choice and that means supporting responsible landlords to stay and continue to provide decent quality housing. I know most landlords want to do their bit to help with the current homelessness crisis, in Ashford and elsewhere.”