National Insurance on rental income could give older landlords an advantage

This would be very messy, and take an age to put into effect, respond to legal challenges, etc… She needs our money today, which is why I doubt she will do it. At least she’ll be qualified for something though… handling complaints!

Every such article states the agents have a valuable opportunity for business with older landlords, as they probably believe older landlords are senile and needs to be told what RRB is and cannot cope with it.
Property 118 believes that older landlords.
I personally believe due to my property investment I make sure I keep track of any developments in RRB etc. I feel often the agents have no clue about property investment or investors, how TDS works. They don’t understand corporate let’s etc.
I am positive that some landlords have more knowledge and experience than the agents.
I believe that a lot of agents are going to close down. They may find another job or careers. I go to the agents, too many staff just on internet.
I do not believe there are more opportunities for agents. Landlords are capable of self managing and understanding the change of legislation. Agents would not know how to do a S8 even or take all the way to court and bailiffs etc. A lot of landlords do many of the tasks themselves. Agents are inefficient.
Pensioners don’t need more investment properties and no agents. What agents can do so can the landlords and more as they need to look after their properties rather than paying agents large fees. The agents have a long list of charges for every task. Don’t trust agents, especially with understanding of RRB.

Dr Neil Cobbold is wrong about agents providing valuable opportunities to the older landlords.

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 22/10/2025 – 17:37
How much can you increase every year. The market and tenants cannot sustain the increase.
Landlords cannot sustain all these heavy costs either. Hence, we have started a departure from the PRS.
This will take time.
Sell as the fixed rate comes to an end. I wish to sell 4 to 5 properties within a year. One in a personal name and another 3 in company names.
Keep cash ready to pay off mortgages when the fixed rates come to an end.

Just another negative for me. I sold one rental last year and now selling a 2nd one (2bed houses) the allowing pets was the last straw for me. I had one tenant that I allowed to have a puppy which he had already got and it chewed all the newel posts and stringer of the stairs, stained carpet etc I wouldn’t have any say if I agreed to one pet then tenant got more! Also rrb makes it more difficult to get rid of troublesome tenants. Tbh I vE been lucky and any tenant leaving has been their own choice but with 3 properties I feel it’s only a matter of time before I’m unlucky and get a bad tenant, I’ll keep the 1 remaining house for the time being. Investing the resulting funds after cgt will be less than rental income and capital gain but not by much and counting maintenance and improvements less stress. It’s little families (my tenant group) I feel sorry for. I’ve only ever put rent up every 3 years in past (now every 2) and now my remaining house is well under new tenancy prices but they are good nice tenants and that also counts. Gov have well and truly shot themselves in the foot, more families will be living in misery in hmo’s or temporary unsuitable accommodation. I remember 80’s there were NO rental accommodations only b and b’s (to get around the rent act) which are now hmo’s, it’s a sorry state of affairs.

Reply to the comment left by Tiger at 27/10/2025 – 23:22
Affordability seems to depend on location and lifestyle. Yes, average salaries are higher in the South than, say, Wakefield, but not that much higher to justify the differences in rents. I’ve just let my remaining property to a tenant who was living down South and paying £1500 per month. She’s moved North for work, and is paying £825. I’ve seen her credit check and she’s not earning less, so will be saving £8,000 pa on rent alone. I’ve got scope for a few increases until I decide to sell.

Reply to the comment left by helen hoskins at 28/10/2025 – 09:39
You are correct, the government has shot itself in the foot. As you correctly point out, with the introduction of the Renters Rights Bill landlords have to be far more careful which tenants they take on (although in my experience children do more damage than pets). There has been a lot of coverage of Mears, Serco and Clearspring housing asylum seekers this year, including in HMOs. At the moment these three companies are competing for the available private sector accommodation in order to drive down the asylum seeker hotel bill, including in HMOs. There was some coverage of this on the BBC six o’clock news last night. Introducing the Renters Rights Bill in its present form actually makes it more risky to house many home-grown tenants than it is to accept money from Mears, Serco or Clearspring to house asylum seekers. This is really stupid policy.

Since the implementation of the Renters Rights Bill and the clause prohibiting any landlord taking more than the advertised rent, any landlord or agent advertising a property now has to advertise at the highest possible rent (and yes, for some landlords the only option will be to exit). It didn’t use to be this way ten years ago. Levying National Insurance on rental income would only add to the pressure to raise rents.

It is government policy that is driving up rents in the private rental sector. Landlords are only responding to the environment that the government is placing them in.