Welcome to my new fortnightly column for LandlordZONE, The Landlord’s Friend. My aim is simple: to shine a light on the real issues landlords face, share the occasional win, and build a stronger sense of community. Being a landlord can feel isolating, particularly when the wider narrative overlooks the many responsible landlords who provide good homes and care about their tenants. By sharing knowledge and experiences, landlords can be better equipped to deal with today’s pressures and crucially, push for fairer treatment.

There is no denying the challenges. Many landlords continue to keep the sector moving, providing good-quality homes and supporting tenants, but some face devastating situations. Just recently, a single mum named Maria contacted Landlord Action after returning to her property in Stockton-on-Tees. She found it filled with rubbish, rotting food, infestations and damage running into thousands. The tenant had already moved on, untouched by enforcement and free to repeat the behaviour elsewhere. Maria was left to foot the bill, financially and emotionally drained. Sadly, her story is not unusual.

Cases like this rarely make the news, yet they reveal how exposed landlords can be. The financial toll is heavy, but the emotional impact is just as severe. Many landlords I speak to feel powerless when the system fails them in this way.

However, cases like this are only one part of the picture. The vast majority of tenancies work as they should: tenants pay their rent, landlords maintain their properties, and both sides benefit from a respectful relationship. For every rogue tenant, there are millions of decent people who simply want a safe, affordable home, as well as countless landlords who work hard to provide it. These are the relationships worth protecting. One does not work without the other.

Yet instead of encouraging these partnerships, government policy is driving a wedge between landlords and tenants. Landlords are subject to increasing regulation and tax rises, while accountability for bad tenant behaviour remains weak. Now, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering forcing landlords to pay National Insurance on rental income, another tax that risks driving out the very landlords who provide the safe, well-managed homes the country needs. If this happens, tenants will be left with fewer options, higher rents, and longer waiting lists.

It really does not have to be this way. Legislation should absolutely protect tenants from poor practice, but it must also support and incentivise landlords to be better. Faster courts, fairer tax treatment, and balanced regulation would keep good landlords in the market, which ultimately benefits tenants too and helps prevent rising levels of homelessness.

That is the purpose of this column.  It’s here to cut through the noise, highlight real stories, and argue for fairness, because when landlords and tenants are supported to work together, everyone is better off. If the landlord community continues to speak up with one voice, particularly as we embark on new regulatory changes as part of the Renters’ Rights Bill, we stand a far better chance of achieving the balance that Britain’s rental market so urgently needs.

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