ARLA Propertymark has laid claim to almost half of England’s rented properties.

The trade body claims this shows a “large proportion” of rental stock is let by agents following professional standards.

According to the latest English Housing Survey, published by the Ministry of Housing, there are currently 4.8m privately rented homes.

ARLA Propertymark has 10,219 branches among its membership in England, with an average of 221 properties managed per branch as of May 2020.

As a result, its members appear to manage 2,258,399 properties, equalling 47% of the private rented sector in England.

David Cox, chief executive of ARLA Propertymark, said: “It’s extremely encouraging to see such a large proportion of the sector actively seeking greater regulation and professional standards than the law currently demands through choosing to be a member of ARLA Propertymark.

“This is especially important in our current uncertain climate where collaboration between the Government and private rented sector is more crucial than ever, and as the Government seeks to introduce regulation of property agents.”

It should be noted, of course, that the English Housing Survey is based on data gathered in 2018 so landlords could have sold in the past two years and the current figure for rental stock is unknown.