So far this year online agents have won a 17.9% share of all new instructions To Let, according to analysis by data consultancy Property EA.
This is a hefty 6.3% improvement on the time last year, and contrasts sharply with the sale sector where online agency activity is stagnating.
On the rental side, online agents’ share growth is far more prevalent at lower price ranges. For example in the £800pcm or less range, growth was 15% year on year, and online agents now have a share of 25% at this price bracket
Of the 17.9% overall market share, OpenRent accounts for around one in six rentals and is growing rapidly.
The Twenty EA analysis also looks at the lettings market as a whole, and says that for 2025 so far, the supply of properties to let in the UK has risen by 64,750 but remains 159,000 lower than its peak in 2019.
Supply is 6.9% higher than last year and over 1m properties have come onto the market to let year-to-date in 2025.
However, affordable rentals remain an issue, where the supply has reduced for £0-£800pcm properties – down 2.5% year-on-year.
Strong supply growth of almost 12% has been observed at the £800-£1,500pcm price range (11.8%).
For 2025 as a whole, UK demand (lettings agreed) volumes are 5.6% higher than 2024 and are at their highest level in six years.
Twenty EA notes: “We are now observing that the supply growth is outstripping demand across all price points.”