Page 12 – Property118
Dart hitting EPC C target on a dartboard, symbolising many homes failing energy efficiency standards

Half of homes in England and Wales fail EPC C targets

8th April 2026

Owner-occupied homes have worse EPC ratings than private rented homes, according to new data. Figures from EPCGuide, which analysed 29.2 million domestic EPC certificates including private rented properties, reveal that over 16 million homes fall below the EPC C threshold. The news comes as the government have announced all private rented properties will need to […]

Tenants with pets face rental rejection as landlord enforces no-pets policy in court setting

Tenants can challenge pet refusals in court ahead of Ombudsman

7th April 2026

The government has admitted it has not carried out an impact assessment for tenants challenging pet refusals ahead of the Ombudsman coming into effect. However, in response to a written question, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook confirmed that tenants will be able to challenge their landlord in court if they believe a refusal to allow a […]

Infographic showing 83% of England’s housing growth (1996–2013) came from the private rented sector

83% of housing growth came from private landlords

7th April 2026

The overlooked statistic from England’s housing data that could reshape the policy debate. Housing debates in Britain often start from a familiar assumption; that the growth of the private rented sector reduced housing supply by diverting homes away from first-time buyers, but one statistic tells a very different story. Between 1996 and 2013, the number […]

East London housing growth highlighted with rising prices and investment trends across boroughs

East London boroughs top decade of house price growth

7th April 2026

East London boroughs have delivered the strongest long-term house price growth in the capital over the past decade, with Redbridge, Havering and Barking and Dagenham leading on annual gains. Foxtons has analysed government data to find that average house prices across London have increased by around 1.4% a year over the last 10 years. However, […]

Map of England and Wales with rising arrows and coins illustrating increasing rental yields

Rental yields rise across England and Wales to 8.1%

7th April 2026

Rental yields rose across every region of England and Wales over the past year, pushing the national average to 8.1% in the first three months of 2026. According to Fleet Mortgages, comparing the first quarter with the same period last year, shows yields up 0.7% annually and 0.4% on the quarter. The North East again […]

Scottish Parliament building with a crossed-out PRS symbol highlighting calls to reduce private renting

Tenant group calls for abolition of Scotland’s PRS ahead of elections

7th April 2026

With the Scottish elections taking place next month, a tenant group is calling on the next government to reduce the size of the private rented sector. Living Rent has launched its 2026 Holyrood manifesto with pledges such as a ban on landlords serving as elected representatives. As previously reported by Property118, one landlord organisation has […]

Landlord facing diverging paths with exit sign and rental properties in background

Landlord exodus slows but uncertainty remains

7th April 2026

Fewer landlords are actively selling up than last autumn, but a big chunk is still exiting or weighing up leaving the sector, research reveals. According to lettings platform Goodlord, 72% of landlords are neither buying nor selling. Instead, activity has stalled as many wait for the Renters’ Rights Act to take effect on 1 May […]

Landlords now 8x more likely to reduce portfolios than expand

7th April 2026

A clear shift is emerging in the UK private rented sector, and it is not subtle. According to the Property118 Landlord Sentiment Survey Q1 2026, landlords are now significantly more likely to reduce their portfolios than grow them, pointing to a structural change in the direction of the market. Based on 2,380 completed responses, covering a […]

Hands signing a tenancy agreement with keys on the document, highlighting uncertainty over tenant move-out dates.

AST versus licence in rent to rent agreement?

7th April 2026

Hello, I have several properties on a Rent to Rent agreement with a Property Management company. In view of the Renters’ Rights Act, they have asked their landlords (including me, but I know several of the others) to sign a new agreement which enables them to take room occupiers on under a licence rather than […]

Renters’ Rights Act and the 12 months relet ban?

7th April 2026

Hi, I’ve just read through the details again… If you evict a tenant post 1st May using ground 1 as a family member needs to move in, but then they find work elsewhere, for example, then move out, as it stands you still cant relet if this is within the banned period. I wondered if […]

Property118 landlord survey results graphic showing rising trends, charts, and UK rental market data

RESULTS of the Property118 Landlord Sentiment Survey (Q1 2026)

2nd April 2026

2,380 landlords completed our recent Property118 landlord survey. If you were one of them, Thank You; it’s by far the UK’s largest landlord sentiment survey, EVER! We have published the high-level results below, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. As always, the devil is in the detail. The raw data captured will […]

Landlords to tighten tenant checks before Renters’ Rights Act

2nd April 2026

Landlords are tightening tenant screening ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May, with nearly seven in 10 planning more stringent checks to manage eviction risk. Paragon Bank’s survey of 500 landlords shows 69% intend to introduce more in-depth vetting of prospective tenants. Another 70% say they will be more selective […]

Crossed-out pound symbol in an empty room representing limits of financial penalties on vacant homes

Financial penalties won’t solve empty homes crisis – Propertymark

2nd April 2026

More than 300,000 homes across the country have been left empty for more than six months, prompting an industry body to call on the government and councils to take action. Propertymark has published a policy paper outlining how the government can address empty properties and bring them back into use. The industry body warns that […]

What’s the true cost for landlords to get properties to EPC C by 2030?

2nd April 2026

I’ve been digging into the EPC open data register to work out what the EPC C 2030 deadline actually means in practice for a typical small portfolio. Not the headline figures from government consultations, the actual numbers from real EPC certificates in real postcodes. Thought it might be useful to share what I found, because […]

Rising UK rents illustrated by upward steps and “To Let” signs as Renters’ Rights Act approaches

Rents tick up as Renters’ Rights Act deadline approaches

2nd April 2026

Rents have increased for the first time in five months as the Renters’ Rights Act edges closer to becoming law, according to new data. The latest figures from the HomeLet Rental Index show that average UK rents rose to £1,311 in March 2026, a 0.8% increase month‑on‑month from £1,301 in February. After four consecutive months […]

Landlords turn to incorporation as Renters’ Rights Act approaches

2nd April 2026

Buy-to-let incorporation is set to boom ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, claims software company. Data by Propoly reveals the number of companies being set up to hold buy-to-let properties has increased every year since 2015, with annual increases of up to 35.9%. The company says for many landlords, with the Renters’ […]

Scottish renters should get last two months’ rent-free if evicted – Generation Rent

2nd April 2026

Generation Rent is calling on all political parties in Scotland to back its manifesto pledge that Scottish renters should receive the last two months’ rent free as compensation in cases of no-fault evictions. Ahead of the Scottish elections in May, the tenant group has launched its Standing Up for Renters in Scotland manifesto, urging parties […]

Worried elderly woman with a walking stick looking at cash on a table, illustrating pensioner poverty and housing costs

Charity calls for action to support older private renters as LHA rates remain frozen

2nd April 2026

A charity is urging the government to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates after research reveals an increase in pensioners living in poverty. New data by the government reveals the number of pensioners living in poverty in the UK increased by 200,000 in just one year. Independent Age says the government should do more to […]

Letting board crossed out on residential street highlighting restrictions on rental signage in Nottingham

Nottingham confirms permanent letting board ban

2nd April 2026

Permanent restrictions on letting boards in parts of Nottingham have been confirmed after government approval, bringing an end to years of temporary controls in areas with high student housing. The Secretary of State has agreed that existing planning rules on ‘To let’ boards will now remain in place indefinitely, following a public consultation last year. […]