UK letting agents are continuing to increase their use of floor plans, according to analysis form Metropix.

The firm analysed sample listings on Rightmove during the period of last month and found that floor plans could be viewed for 18% of rental properties.

This shows a significant increase from June 2012 when the figure was just 5.7% in the same analysis from Metropix.

Metropix is a firm that specialises in supplying floor plan based products to the residential estate agency market.

The firm’s Director, Brian Farrell, said that the analysis proves that there is a growing appetite for floor plans, with rising appeal for letting agents trying to stand out from their competitors.

He added that their analysis shows floor plans are clear instruction winners and that agents can see how they matter to both tenants and landlords.

Mr Farrell also said that in his role of judging one of the upcoming letting agency awards, he is interested to see that many of the entrants use floor plans to make them different from rivals.

Rightmove research has supported this assertion, as their study last year showed that one in five tenants and buyers said that any listing without a floor plan would be ignored by them.

Furthermore, 37% of landlords said they would not invite an estate agent to come and value their property, if floor plans were not provided as standard.

Mr Farrell concluded that there is a continuing turn in the tide as more and more letting agents are seeking a unique selling point for their business.

He added that Metropix’s ‘Space Planner Tool’ has seen a significant growth in its popularity as it means agents can offer a more interactive service, allowing potential tenants to plan their home furnishings.

He says that this is ideal for people who want to rent a property but already have belongings and do not want to purchase new home furnishings.