Forget super-fast broadband and space for an office, bike storage is the latest ‘must-have’ for rental properties post-lockdown.

This is according to data from executives at leading online rental app Movebubble. They report a huge shift in searches for flats with bike storage – or at least space where cycles can be stored – compared to three months ago. They also note a 193 per cent increase in demand for properties with a garden or any kind of outdoor space.

Meanwhile, property portal RightMove say 40,000 properties deals have been concluded since lockdown restrictions were lifted in England during the third week in May.

Aidan Rushby, CEO of Movebubble, said that the desire to travel safely and avoid public transport had led to lots of renters requesting “additional space in the form of bike storage” – regardless of whether they had a bike at present. This chimed with a recent Mintel survey which showed we were becoming a nation of cyclists even pre-lockdown, with e-bike sales rising by 40 per cent last year.

This potential change in behaviour lockdown has brought about also means more individuals becoming comfortable walk-through viewing videos, say Movebubble.