More than three in every four prospective tenants in Gloucester simply can't afford what landlords are asking, according to a new national study.

Stats on renting activity revealed today paint a sobering picture for Gloucester's rental sector, placing the city as the sixth worst place in the UK to find a room in a flat or house – while findings for disabled renters paint a damning picture for the city.

By measuring average budget price against the average required rental figures, the research shows that hopeful tenants were found to have £553 to offer against the city's average demand of £611 for their share in a monthly occupation.

The research conducted by insurance giant Admiral stated: "According to our study, 76% of renters in Gloucester can't afford the average room rental in the city."

Gloucester's figure means that the city punches above its weight by a 10% margin for steep rent demands: on average, the research found that 66% of flat and househunters here had funds that fell short of the landlords' asking prices.

Admiral's study , carried out in November 2022, focused on more than 80,000 single renters and 42,000 advertised rentals and it also revealed that, in keeping with a bleak picture of under-supply in the UK, there were 112 renters in Gloucester chasing every 100 available places to rent.

As a footnote of positive news for those seeking accommodation who have pets, Gloucester emerged as the third-best destination among pet-friendly UK choices, with only Exeter, in second place, and Aberdeen, in first, being easier choices.

But Gloucester also stood out as the worst for provision of disabled access, with just1.3 rooms out of 100 being advertised as having disabled access.

A spokesman for Admiral added: "Our analysis of online room rental ads for single renters in the UK revealed that almost two-thirds (65.7%) of people's budgets are too low to afford the average rental in the UK. We found that the average rent for a single room in the country is £40 more than the average person's budget. (£634 average rent vs £594 average budget).

"In Gloucester, 76% of renters' budgets are below the average rent in the city. A rental there costs an average of £611 whilst the average budget for people looking to rent in the city is £553."

The study also points towards more bad news for landlords: against the national average backdrop of 152.1 renters seeking rooms in the UK, demand in Gloucester is in 12th position among Admiral's list of places showing dwindling demand.

Overall, Gloucester registered 111.9 room seekers, with only three other UK cities showing lower demand.