The number of tenants competing for each room to rent is far higher than the number of rooms being offered according to flatsharing website, easyroommate.co.uk.

The average number of potential tenants for each rental room on the market has risen from 3 to 4.1 in the past 12 months according to the website’s analysis of over 86,000 room rentals around the country, and 30,000 flathunters’ profiles.

Over the past 12 moths, half as many first-time buyers have been able to secure mortgages compared to the average for the previous ten years. With 186,000 buyers kept off the property ladder, demand for rental accommodation is soaring. In the last year alone, the number of renters registering to find a room has risen by 58%. In contrast, the supply of rental rooms has increased more steadily, with an annual rise of 17%.

Jonathan Moore, director of easyroommate.co.uk, said: “Rental demand has really moved up a gear in 2011