The government have hinted at stronger enforcement against criminal landlords as research reveals councils collect just 25% of landlord fines. In answer to a written question, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook says the government will continue to engage with councils to strengthen enforcement in the private rented sector. The news comes ahead of the Renters’ Rights […]

A more concerning signal is now emerging from the UK private rented sector, and it goes beyond portfolio adjustments. According to the Property118 Landlord Sentiment Survey Q1 2026, a significant proportion of landlords are not simply reducing their exposure, they are considering leaving the market altogether. Based on 2,380 completed responses, nearly one in five […]

From a tenant’s perspective, the rental market often feels simple. Availability, affordability and security of tenure tend to dominate the conversation. What sits behind those factors is less visible, and that’s where a massive shift is taking place. The number of landlords is not just influenced by demand from tenants, it is shaped by decisions made […]

My rental tenant of eight years has got herself into a nasty fight with the managing agent of the development. The dispute concerns the new electronic gates of this gated development, which management says she deliberately damaged and was observed doing so. Apparently, this happened back in January, but I was only contacted about it […]

The government has admitted it doesn’t collect data on landlord numbers exiting the market. This most basic of counters, neglected, the one that points to whether renters have the basic right to home availability. The most worrying thing is that when it’s brought to their attention, they dismiss it. This blatant course to failure is […]

Rents in England rose 2.4% year-on-year in March, while monthly increases remained limited as the market moves towards Renters’ Rights Act implementation. The latest Goodlord Rental Index puts average rents at £1,212 in March, up from £1,184 a year earlier. That annual rise, which reflects agreed rents, is higher than February’s 2%, but still well […]

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 […]

For lenders operating in the buy-to-let market, the most important shift is not interest rates or product design; it is behaviour. The landlord base is no longer acting in the same way it did even a few years ago. Growth is no longer the default, expansion is no longer assumed and in many cases, it […]

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 […]

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 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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

These are the questions landlords tend to ask themselves just before they make a change, even if they haven’t quite admitted it yet. 1. Do I actually feel in control of my portfolio, or am I just keeping things running as they are? This is often the first shift in thinking. On the surface, everything […]

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 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 […]

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 […]