Renters’ Rights Act 2025: What are landlords actually changing now?

Hi Koye

Great question and I think a positive one too.

There’s a lot of negativity out there so I’m just closing out all the noise and not worrying about it.

I’m sticking rents up as much as possible and when possible and holding my nerve. Keep saving, keep it professional and don’t listen to all the sceptics. If the worst happens and they i.e politicians (yuk!) continue to make it difficult for us private landlords, then I’ll take each day as it comes, hold my course and hope one day we have a change of government. Until then I’m not panicking along with everyone else.

Also, with the housing market in complete disarray, its not a great time to sell anyway.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes ans Merry Christmas

Phil

Making sure rents are close to market rate – I still feel that a rent freeze or restrictions on rises is just too tempting for the hard left to resist (Scotland is already there).

Good Question.
I have been keeping up to speed through various feeds.
I will need a new lettings process but someone will produce a good one to copy. Also improved my compliance recording and reminder system as this will be a bigger issue with potential for significant fines. I used the NRLA Portfolio system altho there are a few bespoke reminder apps out there.
Also looked into Rent Guarantee Insurance on existing tenancies and may buy one for a specific tenant.
Finally will continue to raise rents a little each year due to higher costs (mortgages, repairs, compliance). I already use S13 and its just a bit of extra admin.
Have a good Christmas.
Adrian

Good article here is my approach…

>Still won’t use an agent as I like self management, and depend more on Openrent than “finders fee” as I want to vet them personally rather than relay on agents judgment.

>Securing rent guarantee insurances is my priority, as the biggest concern is missed payments and no section 21 (need to be a proper policy that pays all the way till eviction).

>With this in place I can then ensure rents will be as close to market rate as possible every time I am allowed to increase but not drive out a good tenant, I’ll keep exiting’s ones slightly below market rate and any new ones up to full market rate without any discount, this ensures affordability keeps up so I don’t have to accept any “riff raff”, plan for longer void periods if need be rather than take a gamble on a marginal tenant.

>I already keep a separate maintenance budget.
>Ensure my gearing is lower for leveraged properties to have equity reserves and sell off high geared/poor capital growth/rents.

>Harder focus on paperwork using AI to help cross check information. Laser focus on process.

A hands on landlord that operates professionally will always fare better than a seat of the pants operator. However, the worst aspect of the RRA is the risk of a punitive penalty for simple mistakes that even the best landlord may fall foul of.

Reply to the comment left by JaSam at 23/12/2025 – 16:07
Im also self managed but through my own development management and maintenance company, as I too want to vet my own tenants, and grow my portfolio but leaning toward the homeless section of councils, with guaranteed rent from UC, the council vet also (right to rent), full history shown with income and expenditure completion.
I had working tenants but find it problem when separation, divorce, children, ill health retirement, ine incime rather two the UC steps in.. not for ne so just by pass that by direct to Councils and get a couple of grand from them every time a amuse one of their applicants. .so no headache, s21 isnt tbe end of the world if you want to keep a portfolio and use the properties as cash cows.. oh a viable business, and works well with the tax man too.

Down to 4 residential tenancies now, plus one flat starting out (slowly) as an Airbnb experiment. I started annual rent increases (5%) last couple of years. For 15+ years I only increased with a tenancy change so am below market at the moment but comfortable. Self manage, after the agent finds/vets tenants then I interrogate them.
My general intention is to try to stay water tight procedurally and ride out the storm, hoping I’ll a same-sized fish in a smaller pond as weaker LLs bail out.

I only rent when I hold working stock for my development business. If I am more successful with planning permissions I will sell as I build and sell off the rentals, as they don’t interest me and the risk-returns of receiving rent but also risking having a non-paying psycho tenant are simply too high, unnecessarily so.

Once the company has paid back my hefty loan to it, I plan to build up a war chest of development capital and give away my shares to my children as I near retirement, to avoid IHT. I may consider keeping a couple of my better houses or small flatbed schemes as rentals, or switch to commercial property. These will be there to act as bulwark equity for development loans by banks, rather than investments: I don’t want to lose the company’s trading focus.

But the RRA, levels of personal tax, and EPC demands means I never again want to hold more than one house in my personal name. I’ve become completely disenchanted with residential lettings generally: the hostility shown to private landlords, simply for renting at all, is just horrible and frankly bizarre.

Finally I don’t see house prices rises like those over the last 50 years occurring again, and certainly with nothing like such favourable taxation. Residential property is going to be a poor investment compared with other opportunities or simply investing in bonds and equities.

Reply to the comment left by Phil Hayward at 23/12/2025 – 10:08
Thanks Phil, appreciate you sharing that.

I think tuning out some of the noise is probably healthy — there’s a lot of headline-driven panic that doesn’t always translate into day-to-day reality. Staying professional, managing the numbers, and not making rushed decisions feels sensible.

I also agree that the current sales market doesn’t give many landlords a clean exit anyway, so for many it’s more about managing what they already have rather than reacting emotionally. Taking things one step at a time is often underrated.

Thanks for adding a calm, grounded perspective — and Merry Christmas to you too.

Good question with all the changes happening and the risks have increased due to any small errors can be costly.
I have sold another property which completed about 2 weeks ago to an owner/occupier. Thank goodness I got rid of the tenants with S21 notice.
I would like to sell 3 more within a year, not placed for sale so far. They are all currently tenanted, one of the tenants has been there for about 18 years. These 3 don’t have any mortgages so cash is always useful to invest in equities, ISAs, bonds etc.
We also need to spend some money on our own residential property and sell it within 2 to 2.5 years and possibly move into one of rented properties.
Rents can stay the same or increase as per market rates, not sure yet. I am happy to keep the same rents for good tenants. I believe all are good tenants.
I shall downsize within 2 years as the fixed rates mortgages come to end on some other properties and may keep about 4 to 5 properties and see how it goes. I hope we will have a change of government who can understand the letting market and are more compassionate towards the tenants and landlords.
In 3 to 4 years, the damage will be done to the tenants and maybe landlords, if they charge a hefty amounts for small errors.