Portsmouth buyers know exactly what they want, and renters are going direct to landlords

New research reveals Portsmouth generates the highest single residential buying keyword of any English city, while a third of rental searches are specifically for private landlord-direct lets

PORTSMOUTH has one of the most focused and locally-specific property markets of any city in the UK, new research has revealed, with buyers generating the highest single residential search term of any English city and renters showing a marked preference for private landlord lets over agency-managed properties.

The research by Fareham-based digital marketing agency Koozai, which analysed more than 440,000 monthly Google searches using the SISTRIX keyword intelligence platform, shows Portsmouth generates 2,250 monthly for-sale searches and 880 monthly rental searches.

The full interactive findings are at www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/koozai-property-index/

"Property for sale Portsmouth" leads all English cities

The general "property for sale Portsmouth" term generates 900 monthly searches on its own, the highest single residential for-sale keyword for any city in the study outside Edinburgh.

That level of concentration on a single search term suggests a buyer pool that is confident, locally informed and precise in its searching behaviour, rather than browsing broadly across platforms.

Old Portsmouth generates 150 monthly for-sale searches at suburb level, reflecting the enduring appeal of the city's historic waterfront quarter. North End, Eastney, Cosham, Hilsea and Southsea all feature, confirming demand across Portsmouth's varied suburbs and price points.

Searches specifically for freehold property generate their own volume, pointing to a cohort of Portsmouth buyers actively seeking to avoid leasehold: a reflection of national leasehold reform concerns that are playing out in the local search behaviour of a city with a large proportion of flats in its housing stock.

Local estate agent Jeffries and Dibbens generates 40 monthly searches in its own right, a strong signal of brand loyalty and the importance of local agency relationships in the Portsmouth market.

Portsmouth renters go direct

The rental data reveals one of the study's most distinctive local findings. More than a third of Portsmouth's rental searches are specifically for private landlord-direct lets, with terms such as "private property to rent Portsmouth" and "private property to rent in Portsmouth" generating a combined 300 monthly searches.

Researchers suggest this may reflect the city's large armed forces community, where renting directly from a landlord rather than through a letting agent is a common and well-established preference.

Commercial rental generates 60 monthly searches, and bedroom-specific rental searches for one and two-bed properties add further volume, confirming a rental market that is active and specific in its requirements.

The full Portsmouth numbers

For sale: 2,250 monthly searches, eighth nationally
To rent: 880 monthly searches, sixth nationally
Top suburb for buyers: Old Portsmouth, 150 searches per month
Keywords tracked: 100 for sale, 104 to rent