Rental Observation Coverage Audit
A quantitative audit of the public observation grid, its spatial evidence rate and the difference between records, advert versions and dated states.
records on the public map
Aggregate observations, not unique homes
grid cells with evidence
2,672 of 3,847 active cells
advert versions geolocated
99,373 of 99,528
dated market states
Price and availability observations over time
Principal findings
What the evidence shows
The public map exposes unevenness.
Almost seven in ten active cells contain observed records. Empty and sparse cells remain visible rather than being smoothed into a false national surface.
Geolocation completeness is high, not perfect.
155 of 99,528 live advert versions lack enough location evidence to be placed. They are retained outside map totals instead of assigned a guessed coordinate.
Counts describe different analytical units.
Map records, advert versions and dated states cannot be substituted for one another. Every public output names the unit it actually uses.
Figure 1
Spatial evidence status of the active national grid
The share of active public grid cells with at least one observed record in the 18 August snapshot.
Reading note. An evidence cell is not automatically a complete cell. Coverage status and observation density answer different questions.
Method
How this output was produced
- Read the exact active public grid and count cells containing one or more observed records.
- Compare geolocated advert versions with all retained live advert versions.
- Report dated market states separately because repeated observations of one advert are analytically useful but are not additional properties.
- Freeze all figures to one dated snapshot so the audit can be reproduced.
Interpretation boundary
What this release cannot prove
- A cell with evidence may still be incomplete or affected by a source result ceiling.
- A cell without evidence is not proof that no rental market exists there.
- Public map records are deliberately aggregated and do not expose addresses or source-specific collection detail.
Source register
Evidence and citation
Upgraded Intelligence (2026), Rental Observation Coverage Audit, August 2026, UI-COV-UK-2026-08.
Questions, corrections or requests for an accessible extract can be sent to hello@theupgradeauthority.co.uk.