Wherever you live in the UK, the choice of rental properties is often overwhelming. With UK house prices rising at their fastest rate since 2004, renting is becoming ever more popular. So where do you start your search? Narrowing down your list to a manageable level is the way forward, and the best rental websites UK-wide can help.
20 years ago, finding somewhere to rent used to be a long, drawn-out process that meant scanning endless newspaper listings and constantly calling estate agencies. Today, online is invariably the first (and usually the only) place we check. That’s because the coverage and quality of rentals available through online portals have skyrocketed thanks to the convenience they offer.
Still, no system is ever perfect. Today, we almost have the exact opposite problem – there’s too much choice! That’s why we want to show you our top picks for the best rental websites UK-wide.
The best rental websites UK-wide
The following are our personal top picks for the best UK rental sites. They’re the ones that we think offer the best combination of reliability, transparency, property choices and user experience. Between them, they should hold the right rental home for you, no matter where you are in the country.
Zoopla
Zoopla tops our list because it has excellent national coverage, a smooth user interface and offers up invaluable local market data with every search. Zoopla’s range of properties has grown even more in recent years as the group has incorporated other major sites like PrimeLocation.
Rightmove
Zoopla and Rightmove are the two main UK online property portals by a country mile. Simply put, their market share alone makes them the two ‘must consult’ sites for UK rentals. On top of that, Rightmove offers a simple, easily navigable UI which puts each property’s images, videos, maps and descriptions within a single integrated view.
Spareroom
Spareroom claims that every three minutes they help someone find a new flatmate. The site allows both lodgers and landlords to help find their ideal match. The matching process uses a simple but targeted approach where renters and tenants create a user profile brought to life with a short video and photos. This lets everybody get a good sense of each other before they move in.
OpenRent
OpenRent says it has always had one mission: to make renting fairer, safer and cheaper for everyone. Sounds good? We think so, and, clearly, 3.5 million tenants and landlords across the UK agree. OpenRent has made great inroads into the national rental market since opening in 2012, thanks to its simple, transparent approach to renting.
Roomgo
Roomgo has a really great UI that’s no fuss, no frills and puts you in touch with the UK’s largest flatshare network. They’re present in 69 cities across the UK, and offer plenty of useful insight into the national rental market to help both tenants and landlords tailor their search.
HomeViews
Well, we do want to toot our own horn just a little bit! HomeViews offers the most useful, trustworthy insights about many of the best new rental developments across the UK’s biggest cities. We also have thousands of resident reviewers’ comments that can show you exactly what to expect from any given property before you sign your lease.
Ideal Flatmate
Like a number of other entries on our list, Ideal Flatmate takes the personalised approach to putting renters together. First, you take the site’s matching test, search for compatible flatmates, start messaging to get to know each other, and then move in if everything feels right. Another cool feature the site offers is the ‘buddy up’ approach, where compatible flatmates search for a new rental property together.
OneDome
OneDome offers a rental property search facility alongside its tools to help both home buyers and sellers. What sets OneDome apart is its area guides, which offer extensive local information to help you decide where to base your property search. For every property listing, OneDome also provides a range of metrics and benchmarks for you to assess the area’s facilities and services, including schools, green space, transport provision and safety.
Gumtree
Even though scammers still persist in using Gumtree to rip people off, the vast majority of its listings are legitimate. If you go into your search here with your eyes open, there are plenty of great rental properties to be found across the UK.
Find a Hood
Find a Hood is a little different in its approach to other rental sites. It starts you off by trying to find out the ideal area that suits your needs. It does this through a simple questionnaire that lets the site’s algorithm make the best match. This means you can prioritise anything, from school coverage to green spaces, crime rates or even average household incomes. Once you have the ideal neighbourhood in mind, the site will show you what’s available there.
Build to Rent is a property aggregator services specialising in build to rent and co-living properties. You can search for these specialist properties by local area or postcode, filtering by monthly rent, number of bedrooms and several other features. The site has 600 developments to choose from, providing national coverage.
Nestoria
Nestoria is another property aggregator, providing a gigantic list of available properties aggregated from other listings sites. Nestoria highlights where the property is listed and takes you to the original listing, rather than storing the information on its own site. This means you don’t lose any information between the original listing and the aggregator.
Airbnb
If you’re looking for short-term rentals, Airbnb is a great place to start. While the site specialises in holiday rentals, you can also find properties listed with monthly rental rates. This can be useful if you’re working away from home for a period, or moving to a new location and seeking a short-term option while you look for a more permanent home.
Mitula
Originally hailing from Spain, this property advert aggregating website has flourished and branched out into numerous other countries. The site has listings for sale and to rent, as well as flatshares and holiday rentals, so it’s got every base covered. You can also find useful property and rental price trackers that show you the state of the market over time.
NetHousePrices
This property valuation website offers a sales and rental portal, so you can search for rental homes that are available in your desired area. You can also compare average rental prices in various UK cities, allowing you to better understand the rental market and find a home that’s great value.
How do you know which are the best websites for UK rental properties?
Knowing which rental site will be helpful in your search might not be easy at first glance. It depends on plenty of factors, including your budget, preferred location, style and size of property.
Hopefully our brief intro to each entry on our list has given you a flavour of what they are like. However, it’s worth pointing out that plenty of sites cover a wide range of different property types and locations. The list includes national market leaders with a presence in hundreds of major towns and cities – so don’t discount them too quickly.
Rental sites – What to look for
Each site’s homepage should ‘lay out their stall’ pretty quickly. You should get a good sense of their target audience without much trouble – they’ve designed it that way! Still, it’s worth taking a little time to play around with any given site on our list, to see if its offerings are a good fit for you.
Once you’ve had a brief look around, the best way to get to know the site is to experiment with its search tools. Given how competitive the UK rental market is becoming, the best sites are constantly improving their user experience, to make things as easy for you as possible. Hopefully, this will mean you can easily find the rental property of your dreams, if it’s on their books.
Hopefully, through this list of the best rental websites, UK renters and landlords can make a good start in their search. Feel like your site should be on our list? Get in contact and let us know.
FAQs
How do I find houses for rent UK?
The list above shows you lots of different ways to find UK rental properties online, but there are other methods too. The first step is to contact letting agents in the area you wish to live. They may already have the perfect property available, but most letting agents will be happy to take your details and contact you should anything suitable come up.
Is On The Market better than Rightmove?
Both of these popular sites have their strengths. While On The Market prides itself on its user-friendly display, Rightmove is still the largest property portal around. So it really depends on what’s most important to you – usability or availability.
Where is the best place to find private landlords?
If you don’t want to go through a letting agent, you can find a private landlord who deals with the property themselves. You can do this by checking local newspapers and noticeboards or looking at private online listings on social media. If you choose to go this route, make sure know how to avoid scammers. You can also tell family and friends that you are looking to rent – someone in your network may be searching for a tenant, too.
Where can I find independent information on my rights as a tenant?
The UK Government has published a webpage where you can find all the resources you’ll need as a private tenant. It includes information on your rights and responsibilities regarding rent, deposits, documentation, complaints and much more. You can find the site at gov.uk/private-renting.
HomeViews provides verified resident reviews of the UK’s housing developments. We’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to recognise high performers and help improve standards in the built environment.
