Manchester’s rental market has become increasingly competitive, with properties letting more quickly than a year ago even in the face of rising rents.
The latest Manchester Rental Market Report from Rentaroof found the average rental property spent just 21 days on the market during the second quarter of 2026, compared with 24 days during the same period last year.
The data, which was based on 6,798 rental listings, also shows that 40% of rental properties found a tenant within 14 days. That’s despite the average monthly asking rent increasing by 2.7% year-on-year, from £1,132 to £1,162.
On a national basis, however, the rental market is heading in the opposite direction. Rightmove reports that during the same period, the average number of enquiries per rental property fell nearly 10%.
Imbalance between supply and demand
Jasper de Groot, CEO at Rentaroof UK, says the imbalance between supply and demand is the biggest factor driving Manchester’s market.
“The city continues to attract new residents through its universities, expanding employment market and growing economy, but the number of homes becoming available isn’t increasing at the same pace.
“Higher rents don’t remove the need for somewhere to live. Instead, they intensify competition, particularly for more affordable homes. That’s reflected in room rents increasing by more than 10% over the past year, as renters increasingly compete for lower-cost options.
“Many renters now recognise that waiting even a few days to arrange a viewing can mean missing out altogether. Although rents have continued to rise, properties are still letting faster because demand remains exceptionally strong.”
Demand strongest in popular neighbourhoods
Didsbury had the fastest-moving market, with properties spending an average of just 11 days on the market. It was followed by Ancoats at 12 days and Chorlton-cum-Hardy at 13 days.
At the opposite end of the scale, properties in Rusholme took an average of 43 days to let, more than twice the Manchester average, while Longsight averaged 35 days.
Around a third of the rental listings analysed were marketed as student-friendly accommodation.
Rents rising across all property types
Average rents increased across all three main property types. Rooms recorded the largest annual rise at 10.4%, reaching £649 per month, followed by flats at 6.3% and houses at 5.4%, with houses averaging £1,647 per month.
There were, though, substantial variations in rental performance between the areas analysed. Hulme recorded the largest annual increase, with average rents rising by 17.1% to £1,193. Strangeways was next with growth of 13% to £1,280, and Manchester City Centre rents increased by 10.4% to £1,356.
Rentaroof, however, attributes part of the increase in Strangeways to the changing mix of rental stock, with new homes at the 556-property Waterhouse Gardens development on the former Boddingtons Brewery site entering the rental market after residents began moving into the scheme in late 2025.
Rents did not rise everywhere. Withington recorded a 5.9% annual fall, and rents dropped by 15.9% in Rusholme. At £976 per month, Rusholme was also the cheapest of the districts analysed, with around seven in ten of its rental listings marketed to students.
Renters’ Rights Act’s impact on landlord pricing
Looking ahead, De Groot believes the Renters’ Rights Act will exert an increasing influence over the city’s rental market.
“This is the first quarter since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, so these insights provide an important baseline for understanding how Manchester’s rental market is likely to continue to evolve.
“One area we’ll be watching particularly closely is landlord pricing. With rental bidding wars no longer permitted, landlords in high-demand locations may increasingly advertise properties at the price they realistically expect to achieve, rather than relying on competition between applicants to drive rents upwards.
“At the same time, we’re already seeing more landlords seek professional management as the new legislation increases compliance requirements. Together, those changes are likely to influence how the rental market operates over the next 12 months.”
