Knight Frank data shows prime London sales activity has risen in the latest three-month period, but exchanges remain below recent and five-year averages, with the comparison affected by stamp duty changes and mortgage rate repricing. In lettings, rental supply remains constrained and rents continue to rise in both prime central and prime outer London, with landlords adjusting pricing in response to changes linked to the Renters’ Rights Act.
Chestertons reports that some landlords are increasing advertised rents in response to the Renters’ Rights Act ban on encouraging bidding wars, aiming to preserve target rental income without inviting competitive offers. The article also notes stronger rental growth in the latest Rightmove data, with London outpacing the rest of Britain for the first time since late 2023.
The article reports that lettings professionals are seeing more tenant complaints drafted with the help of AI, often making them longer, more complex and sometimes factually inaccurate. Industry figures say firms are adapting their complaints handling processes and using AI internally to summarise correspondence, while still relying on human review for responses.
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.
Latest government data analysed by LegalforLandlords shows 28,610 landlord possession claims were issued across England and Wales over the last four quarters. London recorded the highest number of claims by a wide margin, while the article argues that strong rental demand does not prevent tenancy breakdowns or the need for court action.
RICS reports that the UK rental market remains under pressure from a shortage of good-quality stock, with landlord instructions staying negative as some landlords reduce portfolios or exit the sector. Tenant demand was broadly flat, while expectations for rent increases remain positive over the next three months.
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.
New research cited by Rushbrook & Rathbone suggests average rental void periods in England have shortened since the Renters’ Rights Act was introduced in May, falling from a peak of 24 days to 21 days. The article says landlords are adapting to the new legal framework and using the period to improve compliance and portfolio management, although voids remain longer than a year ago in some areas.
Loc8me has appointed Wesley Brown as Chief Operating Officer to support further expansion, integrate recent acquisitions and maintain service standards across its student lettings portfolio. The company says it now manages almost 10,000 student bedrooms in 19 university cities and is investing in leadership to scale operations more effectively.
The article warns that landlords using properties as short lets may invalidate standard home insurance if they do not disclose the use to their insurer. It notes that platform-provided protections such as Airbnb’s AirCover are not a substitute for appropriate specialist insurance cover.
