Renters’ Rights Act boomerang strikes UK to-let signs, symbolising unintended consequences for tenants.

Professor warns Renters’ Rights Act has backfired on tenants

9th September 2026

A professor has warned the Renters’ Rights Act has caused changes in the private rented sector which are proving “ineffective or have perverse outcomes”. Writing in the Telegraph, Tim Leunig, professor of economic history at the London School of Economics, has warned the act has backfired on tenants. The news comes as a report in […]

Rent arrears represented by pound notes and coins beside a residential To Let sign

Landlord rent arrears fall to record low

9th September 2026

While growing numbers of landlords may be seeing fewer rent arrears, the problem is still causing issues for those with bigger portfolios. Pegasus Insight’s latest Landlord Trends research found 26% of landlords had experienced arrears during the past year, the lowest figure recorded since tracking began and down from 42% in 2020. There was a […]

Younger landlords renovating PRS lettering on a UK residential street with homes to let

Younger landlords set to reshape PRS

9th September 2026

Britain’s landlord base is set for a generational overhaul, with Millennials forecast to account for 44% and Gen Z 18% within a decade, research reveals. However, it won’t be a clean handover since Boomers and Gen X (those born between 1946 and 1980), who currently make up 54% of landlords, are expected to fall to […]

Leasehold reform graphic highlighting pressures facing UK leaseholders and the property market

Propertymark calls for faster leasehold reform

9th September 2026

Propertymark is urging the government to speed up leasehold reform after research found 93% of leaseholders would not buy another leasehold property. Its survey of more than 1,200 leaseholders and 200 Propertymark members found 86% had seen service charges rise during the past two years. Another 89% said challenging unfair service charges was difficult, while […]

Short-term let sign beside UK regulation paperwork, illustrating plans for a mandatory property register

Government confirms plans to regulate short-term lets

9th September 2026

The government has announced plans for a mandatory register for short-term lets, which could come into force by March 2027. Speaking in Parliament, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed that the government is committed to introducing regulation for short-term holiday lets. Under the proposed scheme, hosts will be required to register their property’s address and will […]

Renters’ Rights Act document pouring into rising rent figures above English rental homes

Renters’ Rights Act fuels rent growth

9th September 2026

Rent growth has accelerated across five of England’s nine regions since the Renters’ Rights Act took effect in May, despite the national rate being unchanged. Average monthly rent across England rose by 0.6%, from £1,442 to £1,451, exactly matching the increase recorded during the equivalent period before the Act’s implementation. The West Midlands recorded the […]

Keys and lease agreement representing a 25-year housing association property lease

25 year housing association lease?

9th September 2026

Hello everyone, I have come across a rental deal where you buy a property with a 25-year lease attached to the property. The property will be leased to a housing association, which will be the head tenant. The housing association then houses (sublets) to people who require assistance for day-to-day living. The rental amount is […]

Scottish property planning map illustrating strategic choices for landlords in the private rented sector

Scottish landlords can still take control of their future in the PRS

9th September 2026

All of us in the Scottish private rented sector understand the nature of difficult decisions. Many of us have friends and colleagues who are currently considering whether to remain in the sector, downsize their portfolios or simply leave it entirely. The statistics don’t lie. As of December 2025, over half of Scottish landlords were considering […]

Making Tax Digital dashboard above landlord tax records, expenses, HMRC paperwork and deadlines

Government defends Making Tax Digital for landlords

8th September 2026

The government claims Making Tax Digital helps landlords stay on top of their tax affairs. In a Parliamentary written answer, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Dan Tomlinson, said Making Tax Digital works well for businesses “of all types and sizes”. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became compulsory in April 2026 for landlords and sole […]

Selective licensing notice warning landlords of a £200 late application fee and October deadline

Landlords face £200 charge for missing selective licensing deadline

8th September 2026

A council claims a £200 late application fee for selective licensing is not “intended to be punitive” for landlords. North East Lincolnshire Council’s selective licensing scheme came into force in April this year. However, the council has announced that landlords have until October 8 to submit their application or face a £200 late fee and […]

Microphone and notepad on a desk representing a media interview about the UK housing market

The Times wants to speak to landlords about buy-to-let mortgages

8th September 2026

A journalist from The Times is working on a piece marking the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the buy-to-let mortgage and looking at how it has changed Britain’s property market. They are looking to speak to landlords who have benefited from a buy-to-let mortgage and have been able to build portfolios or buy one or […]

Housing association home being sold to a private buyer, representing 25,000 social homes sold since 2018/19

Housing associations sell 25,000 social homes

8th September 2026

Housing associations in England have sold 25,000 social and affordable homes to private buyers who do not live in them since 2018/19. The pace has accelerated, with 5,250 homes sold in 2024/25, the highest annual figure on record and 89% more than two years earlier. The Local Councils Network (LCN), which obtained the figures through […]

Alternative Text: Rising percentage symbols illustrate increasing buy to let mortgage rates and higher borrowing costs.

Buy to let mortgage rates set to rise

8th September 2026

Buy to let mortgage rates are beginning to move higher as lenders respond to rising swap rates, with several providers repricing or withdrawing deals, research reveals. Moneyfactscompare.co.uk says that average two- and five-year fixed BTL rates now stand at 5.32% and 5.70% respectively, up from 5.29% and 5.66% on 1 September. HSBC increased its buy […]

Letting agent using Rightmove’s Section 13 rent review tool to manage a tenancy rent increase

Rightmove adds Section 13 rent review tool for agents

8th September 2026

Rightmove has added a rent review function to its Tenancy Manager platform to help letting agents adjust their processes following changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act. The update allows agents to create and serve a Section 13 rent increase notice directly from an existing tenancy record. It is one of the most requested additions […]

Deferment and capitalisation rates illustrated alongside residential property and the London skyline

Deferment and capitalisation rates: the small percentages with large consequences

8th September 2026

Article by Vanessa Griffiths, ALEP Member The government is currently consulting on Leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates to determine what deferment and capitalisation rates should be prescribed under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act (LAFRA). To many investors this may sound like specialist valuation assumptions, but in practice, they are among the most important numbers still […]

Hourglass, possession claim papers and rising legal costs illustrating delays faced by landlords

Longer possession disputes are driving up landlord costs

8th September 2026

Landlords trying to regain possession are facing longer delays and higher legal bills as tenants challenge eviction notices, according to law firm Thackray Williams. The firm warns that every accelerated possession claim it has recently handled has been challenged by the tenant. Instructions from landlords seeking vacant possession rose both before and after the Renters’ […]

Laptop showing the Digital Possession Service for county court possession claims in England and Wales

Government launches digital possession service as full rollout looms

7th September 2026

A pilot of a digital possession service will launch this month for county court possession proceedings in England and Wales. The pilot will initially be limited to social housing landlords in England and community landlords in Wales. Claims must relate to a property in an area served by one of four initial court centres: Bradford, […]

UK house for sale with falling price tags illustrating the decline in average house prices

House prices see first annual drop since 2023

7th September 2026

House prices have fallen year-on-year for the first time since November 2023, according to the latest Lloyds house price index. Average values were 0.4% lower in August than a year earlier, while prices also slipped by 0.2% during the month. The average property price now stands at £298,468, down from £299,153 in July. August’s decline […]

Company ownership accounts for nearly half of buy-to-let properties, with larger landlords leading the shift.

Company ownership reaches 45% of buy to let

7th September 2026

Nearly half of buy to let ownership is now held through companies, according to new figures from property management and finance platform Lendlord. Its latest data puts company ownership at 45.1%, against 54.9% held privately. The balance changes sharply as portfolios grow, with 57.6% of ownership among landlords with 20 or more properties held through […]