Rental market pressures have started to ease as more landlords invested in new homes, research from the TDS Charitable Foundation found.
The survey found that 23% of private landlords had increased the number of properties they rent out in the last year, up from 19% the previous year.
The proportion of landlords selling property stayed flat at 14%, compared to 13% last year.
Landlords who bought properties this year purchased an average of 2.5 each, up from 2.2 last year.
This was more than the average of 2.3 properties sold by those leaving the market.
More homes to rent has coincided with a small drop in financial pressures for tenants.
56% of landlords said they had increased rents over the past 12 months, down from 61% the year before.
In a separate survey, 32% of private tenants said they struggled to pay rent, down from 35% last year.
Among full time students, the proportion struggling to pay rent fell from 45% to 32%.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed rent rises across the UK slowed to 6.7% in the year to June 2025, down from a recent peak of 9.1% in the year to March 2024.
Steve Harriott, CEO at TDS Group and a trustee at TDS Charitable Foundation, said: “Whilst cost pressures in the sector might be easing, many tenants are continuing to struggle to afford their rents.
“Measures in the Renters’ Rights Bill to help tenants challenge unreasonable rent increases will count for nothing unless they are equipped with the information about rents and provided with the detailed information that they need to exercise these rights effectively.
“Alongside this, it’s clear that many low-income tenants are continuing to struggle to cover their rents due to the ongoing freeze on housing benefit rates.”
