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17/12/25 3:30 pm
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The latest English Private Landlord Survey (EPLS), commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), paints a clear picture of a sector feeling the strain. A growing number of landlords are considering selling up or scaling back, and that trend is already being felt in rising rents and shrinking choice for tenants. At first glance, the findings highlight a sector under pressure. Yet alongside these challenges, it is clear that recent regulatory and fiscal changes are pushing the market towards a more professional and more resilient landlord base.
This transition will not be painless. The survey confirms what many of us have known for some time, that a proportion of landlords, particularly smaller or accidental ones, are reassessing whether the sector still works for them. With tighter margins, higher borrowing costs and a decade of policy changes behind us, it is hardly surprising. Losing seasoned landlords who have provided good homes for years is not something we should dismiss lightly. Their exit affects the stability of the market, reduces supply and inevitably pushes rents upward, something that benefits no one in the long run.
The survey also highlights how differently various landlord groups are responding to the changing landscape. Corporate landlords are the only segment showing signs of expansion, with 26 percent planning to increase their portfolios. Among most other landlord types, plans to grow are extremely rare, typically between just 2 percent and 10 percent. At the same time, half of large-scale business landlords say they intend to reduce their portfolio size or leave the sector entirely, a higher rate than any other group. For those planning to exit, recent tax and legislative changes are overwhelmingly marked as the driving force, mentioned by 81 percent of moderate-scale business and investor landlords, 78 percent of large-scale landlords, and 46 percent of small-scale retired landlords. This variation demonstrates the impact of policy and cost pressures across the market and shows how the profile of landlords may shift in the years ahead.
However, despite these challenges, there is now more certainty than we have seen for some time. Much of the speculation around future regulation and tax changes has been clarified, even if not everyone welcomes the direction things are heading. With a clearer picture of what is ahead, landlords can at least begin to plan and make decisions based on firmer information rather than uncertainty.
Landlords, perhaps for the first time in years, know what kind of environment they are operating in. For most, property investment has always been a long-term endeavour and the ability to plan rather than constantly react is vital if landlords are to run sustainable businesses.
This is why I see the current moment as the early stage of a wider professionalisation. Those landlords who remain or enter the market now will do so with eyes open and a clear understanding of what is expected of them: compliance, transparency, proper record-keeping, fair treatment of tenants and, increasingly, a businesslike approach to property management. These will become the hallmarks of a modern and functioning rental sector.
The sector is undeniably in transition, and transitions bring turbulence, but they also bring renewal. My message to landlords is that the coming years will require adaptation, but they will also offer opportunity. Those who educate themselves on the changes, understand their market and modernise their approach, while embracing the new expectations, will be in a strong position to succeed in the next chapter of the private rented sector.
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