# Exploiting new forms of data to study the private rented sector: strengths and limitations of a database of rental listings

## TL;DR

This paper explores the use of a new rental listings database from an online agency to analyze private renting trends in the UK, highlighting its potential and limitations for housing research.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel dataset from online rental adverts and evaluates its validity and usefulness for studying local private rental market dynamics.

## Key findings

- The dataset provides detailed insights into local rental market changes.
- Validation efforts show the dataset's reliability against external sources.
- Discussion highlights challenges in integrating big data into routine housing analysis.

## Abstract

Reviews of official statistics for UK housing have noted that developments have not kept pace with real-world change, particularly the rapid growth of private renting. This paper examines the potential value of big data in this context. We report on the construction of a dataset from the on-line adverts of one national lettings agency, describing the content of the dataset and efforts to validate it against external sources. Focussing on one urban area, we illustrate how the dataset can shed new light on local changes. Lastly, we discuss the issues involved in making more routine use of this kind of data.