Competition among renters is so intense that there are 20 requests to view each available property, according to data commissioned by the BBC.
The average number of requests to see each home has more than tripled from six in 2019, the figures from property portal Rightmove show.
The queue to view is even longer in some regions, reaching 30 in the North West of England.
One family in the area said finding a home was stressful and hard.
Demi and Andrew, who are both self-employed and have five children, said they faced “ridiculous prices”, a lack of options, and a wall of silence from some agents before finding somewhere suitable near Preston.
“You can have all the money in the world, but it would still be a long process,” said Demi as she looked around a home in which 50 people had shown an interest. “You go around in circles. It is so frustrating.”
Demand from prospective renters has soared as rising mortgage rates are making home ownership a more distant prospect and prompting some landlords to sell up.
Following reports of lots of tenants chasing a smaller number of properties to rent, BBC News commissioned Rightmove to trawl its data and gather a picture of the growing level of competition in the private rental sector.
It found that in Britain, in May, there were typically 20 requests to view each available property in Britain from prospective tenants, up from 19 the previous year, and six in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
In every region, the number has tripled at the least since 2019.
Anecdotal evidence shows tenants are offering more than the asking rent, or arriving early to get to the front of the queue.
Paul Forbes, an estate agent in Preston, said that properties were often let after the first block viewing of interested home-hunters because demand is so high. Choosing the successful applicant was “not a nice part of the job”, he said.
Previous research by the BBC recently revealed how rental applicants with children and pets have found it even harder to secure a place.
In May, the government confirmed it planned to ban no-fault evictions in England, promising a “fairer deal for renters”. But a group of charities and campaigners said there has been slow progress since. They have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to speed up and strengthen reforms in the private rental sector.
The government says the reforms will help create a sector “fit for the 21st Century” and the next stage of the bill will come in due course.
