The article highlights concerns raised by lettings expert Paul Shamplina about rental fraud, including fake tenants, false identities and references, and criminals posing as landlords or agents. It cites BBC Panorama cases where properties were taken over and used for criminal activity, illegal subletting, or were left damaged, with landlords facing lengthy possession and legal processes.
The article says Angela Rayner is returning to the housing brief and will lead on implementing house-buying reforms previously announced by Steve Reed. It also states that if private rent controls are tested or introduced through a devolution package, she would be responsible for that policy area, alongside wider local government reforms.
Andy Burnham has been asked to form the next government and has set out housing and cost-of-living priorities, including more council homes, ending rough sleeping and a 10-year plan for Britain. Industry responses from RICS, Jackson-Stops and Propertymark focus on housing supply, home buying reform, market confidence and the need for planning, regulatory and delivery capacity.
Savills reports that prime rental values rose in Q2 2026 across regional markets, outer prime London and, more modestly, prime central London. The firm links the increase to landlords passing on higher regulatory, tax and borrowing costs, alongside reduced stock as some landlords consider selling following the Renters Rights Act.
Labour politicians in Manchester are urging the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to consider the city as a pilot area for private rent controls, with calls for devolved powers to let Greater Manchester set rent caps. The debate also references wider concerns about affordability in the private rented sector and the potential for Manchester to inform a national approach.
Propertymark has published a report criticising the pace of leasehold reform, arguing that existing leaseholders continue to face rising costs, restrictive terms and uncertainty in the market. The report says the planned move to commonhold will take time and should not delay further reforms for current leaseholders, with evidence that leasehold issues are affecting sales and market confidence.
TwentyEA reports that nearly 850,000 properties have left the UK private rented sector over the past decade, with the largest volume of former rental homes sold in 2025. Despite this landlord exit, overall rental supply has risen to a seven-year high, supported in part by growth in Build to Rent stock and regional differences in asking rent trends following the Renters Rights Act.
LRG has partnered with Nexus to provide Making Tax Digital support across its UK lettings network, covering agent-managed landlords using rent collection or fully managed services. The rollout is positioned as one of the largest MTD implementations in the lettings sector, with the software designed to streamline record-keeping and reporting for landlords.
Winkworth’s trading update indicates that revenue and pre-tax profit are expected to remain in line with market expectations despite an uneven market backdrop and wider political and economic uncertainty. The lettings business has remained resilient, with the company noting continued performance after the Renters Rights Act came into force on 1 May and ongoing network expansion through new office openings.
Rightmove reports that rental supply fell slightly below last year’s level in Q2 2026, marking the first annual decline in available rental homes in four years. While tenant competition has eased from its 2022 peak, demand remains above pre-pandemic norms and regional rental pressures persist, with the North West showing the strongest mismatch between supply and demand.
New research highlights a rising concentration of HMOs in some of England’s least affordable cities, with Oxford and Cambridge among the highest-ranked locations outside London. The article also notes increasing use of Article 4 Directions and HMO licensing, alongside landlord sales ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act, as the market adjusts to tighter regulation and higher standards.
A lettings agent and four others have been convicted in connection with an organised cannabis cultivation network operating through multiple rented properties in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. Police said fraudulent tenancy documents were used and that the agency’s offices contained evidence linked to the criminal activity, with sentencing still to follow for at least one defendant.
