Propertymark has called on the government to ensure housing support for private tenants better reflects actual market rents. It argues that one-off crisis payments are only a short-term safety net and that repeated freezes in Local Housing Allowance have widened the gap between support and rent levels.
Prime London lettings saw the strongest annual rental growth in 18 months in July, with average rents up 5.3% and new instructions and lets agreed both rising modestly. The article notes that rental growth has accelerated alongside the May start date of the Renters’ Rights Act, although the evidence presented is observational rather than conclusive.
RICS reports that the UK rental market remains under pressure from a continuing shortage of good-quality stock, with landlord instructions still negative as some landlords reduce portfolios or exit the sector. The same snapshot also shows a weak sales market, with buyer demand, agreed sales and house price balances remaining negative across much of the UK.
Horizon Management has taken on the management of 347 homes in Sheffield and Merseyside after leaseholders exercised their statutory Right to Manage. The article highlights the firm’s role in both running the RTM process and preparing the operational handover, alongside wider pressure on leaseholders from rising service charges and recent RTM reforms.
This opinion piece argues that letting agents are becoming increasingly important as landlords face a more complex compliance environment, especially following the Renters’ Rights Act and the end of Section 21. It says agents who proactively manage tenancy paperwork, compliance checks and legislative change can reduce legal risk and should better demonstrate and charge for that value.
Manchester’s rental market remains highly competitive, with properties letting faster even as asking rents continue to rise. The article attributes this to persistent demand outstripping supply, alongside early market effects from the Renters’ Rights Act and a shift toward more professional landlord management.
The article reports that lettings professionals are seeing a rise in AI-generated tenant complaints, including correspondence that is more complex, lengthy and sometimes factually inaccurate. It notes that some agencies are adapting complaints procedures and using AI internally to summarise submissions, while still relying on human review for responses.
Knight Frank argues that the Renters Rights Act is having unintended consequences, with tighter rules and reduced landlord confidence contributing to lower supply and higher advertised rents. The article also links anticipated EPC C requirements from 2030 and tax pressures to further constraints on rental stock, particularly in London markets.
Street Group has updated its platform to embed the government’s official Form 4A into the rent review workflow, allowing letting agents to generate, sign and serve rent increase notices for periodic tenancies within one system. The change is intended to reduce manual administration and create a clearer audit trail for compliance purposes.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced around £400,000 in funding for Renters Rights Act enforcement officers and tenant support services. The money will support training for newly recruited officers in boroughs across the capital and fund organisations offering free advice to renters.
London asking rents are rising strongly even as tenant enquiries per available property have fallen, according to Hello Neighbour. The agency links the shift to reduced net migration and to the Renters Rights Act, which it says is encouraging landlords and agents to set higher initial rents and making mid-tenancy rent increases more complex.
Propertymark says the Renters Rights Act will change rental marketing and onboarding by requiring active database entries for both landlord and property before a home can be advertised. It also expects written adverts to carry unique identifiers, with compliance checks becoming part of agents’ instruction and listing workflows.
