Hostility towards landlords becomes a growing concern

Negative portrayals by politicians, tenant campaigners and the media have become the fourth most discussed issue affecting landlord confidence.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that comments about the treatment and public portrayal of landlords have doubled as a proportion of all responses since the beginning of 2025.

The issue has moved from eighth to fourth place among the subjects raised by landlords in the organisation’s quarterly research.

Other top landlord concerns include costs, government and tenants.

More than 900 landlords took part in its latest consultation, which asked members why their confidence in the private rented sector had risen or fallen.

Landlords frustrated by rhetoric

The NRLA cautioned that hostility levels do not necessarily mean hostility itself was increasing.

Instead, landlords appeared more frustrated by the rhetoric surrounding their role.

One female portfolio landlord in the South East told the survey: “I don’t think the Renters’ Rights Act is a bad thing. But I believe the media has made it a negative and scary prospect for private landlords.”

Landlords intending to stay and those considering an exit expressed similar dissatisfaction with the way the sector was represented.

Those expecting to leave, though, mentioned the subject more frequently and gave it a higher ranking among their concerns.

Landlords looking to sell

The NRLA stopped short of claiming that hostility was directly causing landlords to sell.

It said negative portrayals appeared to form one part of a wider decision involving policy, costs and confidence.

A female landlord in the North West told researchers: “Persecution by an ill-informed government and activists who think all landlords are bad and have lots of money. Very wrong on all accounts.”

Another female portfolio landlord in the East Midlands said: “Successive governments for the past twenty years have increasingly disliked small landlords…yet many good landlords fulfil a strong social role that goes unrecognised.”

The NRLA concluded that many respondents felt they were being used as scapegoats for wider housing problems.

For those already questioning their future, it said escaping the ‘toxicity’ surrounding the sector had become another consideration when deciding whether to stay or leave.