2026: The year landlords finally lose their nerve
3 months ago | 10 comments
When will landlord rights be finally recognised?
12:02 AM, 9th January 2026, 3 months ago
14
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Well, colour me shocked but the Guardian newspaper has managed to impress me. Sort of. It published an interesting article, called ‘Are UK buy-to-let landlords dying out – and should we care?’ and it takes a fair and balanced view of what’s happening in the PRS.
The comments were turned off, naturally, but it highlights the issues that landlords face with tighter regulations and higher taxes which have already led to ‘tens of thousands’ of rented homes disappearing from the market.
Yes, the Bible of the Left has interviewed landlords and explained what the issues in the sector are. The overheads, increasing tax burdens and an acknowledgement that being a landlord isn’t as lucrative as it once was.
There are 170 regulations that landlords must abide by, and the newspaper gives a tacit nod to the potential impact that the EPC debacle will deliver to the country’s ageing housing stock to make rents more expensive and lead to more homes leaving the PRS.
Tenants’ union is wrong
The fact that the story came out a week after news that a new national tenants union is being launched did not pass me by.
Relying on the old trope that every landlord is a bad landlord, the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) says it wants to ‘reshape the landscape’.
To what exactly? More landlords selling up? More landlords being punished with fines so large they are bankrupted?
The housing crisis is one of affordability, they say, and high rents are the reason. There’s never any joining of the dots is there? None of these people ever considers why rents are going up.
More landlord licences, more financial obligations and the result will always be an increase in rent. Crikey, even the Guardian article highlights that most landlords barely make a profit.
So, it looks like we will have yet more mouthy, know-nothing busy bodies offering solutions to problems that either don’t exist or aren’t the fault of landlords.
The only silver lining here is the intention of the union to tackle poor council and social housing. Let’s see how this pans out when the penny drops that councils, who will be the gatekeepers to improved housing conditions and enforcers of those bankrupting fines, are delivering even worse conditions.
But no one gets to fine them or turn up unannounced for an ‘inspection’.
Fixing the housing crisis
I no longer read these stories and declarations with a shake of the head, because beneath the righteous rhetoric lies an inconvenient truth that many in the housing debate still refuse to acknowledge – you cannot fix our housing crisis by hounding the very people who supply the homes that millions depend on.
In reality, if you push landlords out of the market, there will be fewer properties, higher rents, tougher tenant screening, and even less affordable housing for exactly the people the union claims to champion.
Almost every week brings another story of landlords exiting the PRS, not because they want to, but because their margins have been squeezed to the bone.
Combine that with Renters’ Rights Act which fundamentally changes tenancies and possession rights, and the sector is already being challenged, if not fundamentally reshaped.
Yet tenants’ unions and housing campaigners are blissfully unaware of the situation landlords are facing.
Unfortunately, policymakers seem intent on doubling down on policies that have already done more harm to the private rented sector than almost anything else.
The decades-long decline in rental stock has not been caused by landlords’ greed. It was exacerbated by regulatory uncertainty, punitive tax rises and a failure to address underlying supply issues.
Understanding PRS dynamics
Perhaps this year will see a change of opinion when renters and campaigners finally understand the market dynamics that sustain their homes. Landlords are not a charity. You cannot legislate investment or the building of new homes into existence.
Let’s see what happens should landlords continue to exit en masse, rent controls be introduced and supply collapse further because the tenor of public debate will be very different.
It won’t be calls for more rights for tenants, it will be pleas for some rental properties at all.
And at that point, the tenants’ union may discover that socialism, in practice, tends to disappoint its supporters – particularly when it collides with the hard realities of supply economics.
That will also mean that the rights of landlords to offer a quality, safe home will be appreciated.
The narrative that landlords are the enemies of housing affordability is simplistic and, increasingly, demonstrably wrong.
Something has changed
That message from The Guardian, a paper not known for defending the PRS, should signal that something fundamental is shifting.
So yes, tenants deserve fairness and safe housing, and all decent landlords will agree.
But fairness isn’t achieved by draining this market of its suppliers.
The solution isn’t more action against landlords. It’s having a smarter policy that invites investment instead of penalising it, creates incentives for people to buy and rent out properties, cut back punitive tax and regulatory overreach, and watch as the supply increases and rents ease. That’s basic economics, isn’t it?
Until we see that, we’re simply rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship, and when the water gets higher, tenants will learn the hard way that you can’t build a functional housing market by burning its builders.
Until next time,
The Landlord Crusader
Tags:
landlord regulation and tax, landlord rights uk, Private Rented Sector Crisis, Renters’ Rights Act impact, tenants union and rents, The Landlord Crusader, UK housing supply shortage
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Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 365
10:21 AM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Hopefully Reform will tear up this obscene RRB and return to what Margaret Thatcher had in mind.
Member Since June 2015 - Comments: 330
10:32 AM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
It isn’t just the number of PRS properties that matter. Corporates or BTR may well replace a certain amount of the traditional BTLs. However, will they be as flexible in their tenant selection criteria? How many will have criteria that allows tenants with an IVA?
How many will risk people who have been homeless (sofa surfing or living in a van for prolonged periods)?
How about erratic, seasonal employment and a CCJ?
I house all of the above and know every single one of them was turned down by both Letting Agents and Social Housing. Small, self managing landlords were their only option.
I’ve hit the point now where I realistically should sell some properties (due to the tax situation, especially Section 24 and IHT). The properties housing those tenants have the lowest CGT and would therefore be the most sensible to sell. I really don’t want to make those people homeless at their time of life or with their health conditions but I’m not a charity and need to consider my own health and wellbeing as well as theirs.
We desperately need to be returned to a traditional method of taxation and balanced regulations of equal fairness to both landlords and tenants.
Member Since June 2018 - Comments: 17
11:20 AM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
I give it 5 years before they realise and start scampering to change it, in order to encourage private landlord investment by changing the law again. Like they did in 1988, to address the housing crisis.
If they don’t, the crisis will worsen, there will be less choice, rents will be extortionate, and we will have more antisocial neighbours we can’t get rid of, and the homeless lining the streets.
Member Since May 2017 - Comments: 21
12:34 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Jo Westlake at 09/01/2026 – 10:32
As always Jo, sensible comment which the powers that be either don’t see, or ignore and pretend all is well.
Member Since January 2023 - Comments: 317
1:22 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by David at 09/01/2026 – 10:21
Once legislation is on statute books it is rarely taken off asap. I.e. It takes parliamentary time to unwind it. Plus Lords will have their say especially if it is not in manifesto.
So don’t bank on law changes via next NON- LABOUR government. Meanwhile Labour Councils will be feasting on the fines from PRS LLs for many years to come.
I like many LLs on this forum are one punitive/disproportionate fine away (for a minor thing) from selling everything and doing the actual job I enjoyed providing quality accommodation
Member Since August 2023 - Comments: 34
1:31 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
More good sense from the Landlord Crusader.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3511 - Articles: 5
3:00 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Jo Westlake at 09/01/2026 – 10:32
I agree, and more to the point its funny how councils are still telling their clients to try and find housing in the private sector because they can’t/don’t want to provide it themselves. They never point them towards the corporate flats/units BTR’s do they? We all know why.
I’m expecting the calls I have from local Councils (already) asking me directly if I have any accommodation to increase after May. A lot of councils are still in the dark/ignorant of what the RRA implications will be on the PRS, so blindly expect the I x month RIA and deposit are going still be an ‘attractive’ incentive. Think again.
Be interesting to see what councils come up with, as they still need to shift people off their lists and out of very expensive temp accommodation.
Fines and enforcement are all well and good, but guess what… it can only happen after a tenancy is actually granted and a tenant is in situ.
What is really going to be their priority? Getting very expensive clients off their list as quickly as possible to make it look like they are doing something about homelessness and reducing council tax spend (CT goes up in April and elections in May!) or spending time and effort to enforce a LL with no guaranteed outcome?
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1435 - Articles: 1
3:03 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Doubt if any government will really as reliant on approx 10m votes.
But, got another 4 years until my predicted (2018) UK tent cities are up and running, though there are a couple of small ones already in London.
Sadly, Landlords missed the opportunity to force government to work WITH and not AGAINST PRS landlords in 2018 when the Renters Reform Bill rose it’s head.
Glad I saw the light and am out after 30+ years, and I only rented to those on benefits.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3511 - Articles: 5
3:05 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Crouchender at 09/01/2026 – 13:22
Feasting fines are neither guaranteed, nor continual.
When any LL sells up/refuses to rent/changes rental direction, so does any chance of a bite of the enforcement cherry along with any SL/ HMO fees….
Member Since August 2025 - Comments: 41
3:40 PM, 9th January 2026, About 3 months ago
Right to rent reform for few not only going to cause prs short supply but also going to make suffer the good tenants whom preffered to live in rental sector only and treated properties as thier own without having to find hefty deposits and mortgage senario. Due to shortage and work trades disappearing the government either have to support them with untold brnefits or just like refugees house them in a 5 star hotel. With no tax revenues coming in from prs and slump in work trades god knows where the money is going to come from? Its not known any sensible landlord ever made life difficult for good and law abiding tenants. Situation be worse when multiple tenancies in flats living next to each other where one is sensible and other alcholic or noisy abd landlords tied by the stricter rules to evict facing RRf laws,how about then when if eviction rakes place landlords face legal bills then not been able to rent further six or twelve months. Few bad ones crying going to take down the good ones.
JOE