This petition has been doing the rounds. It raises a fair question that is worthy of debate, particularly in cases where criminal tenants are deliberately choosing to not pay rent. Not because there is hardship. But because they know there is no criminal consequence. That sounds like fraud. It sounds like theft. So why is it not treated like it? Here's the petition for those who want to support it.
According to an article from Simply Business empty properties are a growing concern for UK landlords. Recent data shows that the cost of void periods between tenancies has climbed by 12.9% over the last year, with the average void period in England now standing at 24 days.
The cost underlines the importance of tenant selection, proper referencing and managing tenants properly so they want to stay.
If you let property in England, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (the thing councils use to assess hazards) is getting its biggest overhaul since 2004. These changes could impact any landlord so it's important to be aware of them even though they get far less coverage than the RRA.
The main points:
Worth noting the enforcement guidance and the exact figures are still in draft, so check GOV.UK for the current position before relying on the numbers.
It is a good idea for professional landlords to update their processes and systems to reflect the changing risk profile around this.
We've managed a few situations recently where there is a decision to be made on whether it is worth repairing something or replacing it. And the reality is that there is no fixed answer. Internally we run these things by our maintenance triage team and rely on their experience to try and get the best value outcome for the landlord. Experience actually catches a lot of issues that can be resolved without replacing which are missed by the inexperienced eye.
How do you make these decisions and who advises you? It springs to mind that a lot of people using agents are reliant on a junior admin to make this call. And not all landlords have hands on experience with maintenance and repairs. How many replacements could be avoided?
Last week we had a meeting with a council enforcement officer. Nice guy who was genuinely fair with the landlord issue we were dealing with. He took a fair approach to listening to the position of the landlord which we had fully documented. Exactly what a fair process looks like to be fair. And we told him this. He was a bit upset that he'd seen a couple of post which he thought painted the council enforcement teams unfairly. So we had a great chat about what we were seeing and what he was hearing.
And here's the thing: he agreed with our underlying point we are making to landlords - enforcement is changing. He was quite clear that he thought him and his team were fair and genuine in wanting to help landlords do better. But he also then told us that "the powers that be" in the council had told them a few weeks ago that they were being too lenient and needed to issue more fines rather than investigate so much. It wasn't a "target" but it was a clear instruction.
Now this is the reality of incentivised enforcement. The "powers that be" see revenue here and they want their teams to focus on getting it. Which means sooner or later even the good enforcement officers will be facing extreme pressure to be less fair - and more profitable. That is why compliance and risk management will be so important going forward.
The Bank of England has today held the Base Rate at 3.75%, maintaining its current position as policymakers continue to balance inflation concerns against wider economic growth.
The good news is that with potential thawing in the middle east (don't bank it!) there is also a stabilising effect on swap rates - these directly affect mortgages. The consensus is that we won't see any dramatic decreases this year now in mortgages. If you see a good deal it might be a good idea to lock it in.
Interesting story about a landlord who had objected to Waltham Forest Council’s licensing scheme. Whatever the merits of his position the underlying message is clear - there will be no excuses for not being licensed. What the fines don't disclose is the potential Rent Repayment Order liability he has accrued and with these being up to 12 months (24 months after the RRA). As we saw in the Wandsworth case we blogged about (link below) they could far exceed the fine.
If you are in a selective licence then the message is clear - get licensed.
https://landlordlab.co.uk/insights/wandsworth-selective-licence-cost-of-delay
https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/landlord-who-fought-licensing-scheme-lands-ps105-000-bill
After consultation the government has decided to go ahead with changes to the way companies file accounts from 1 April 2028. This will impact property companies even if you only hold one property.
The government has taken the decision to proceed with the reforms. These include:
| requiring small companies and micro-entities to file profit and loss accounts, as other companies do |
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| all companies having to file their accounts at Companies House via commercial software |
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| other smaller technical amendments. |
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However, to help address concerns, the government is introducing two changes:
| Opt out of profit and loss publication: small and micro-entities will be able to opt out of having their profit and loss accounts published on the public register. Details of how smaller companies can opt out of publication will be confirmed in due course. Postponed timings: these reforms will now come into effect on 1 April 2028, rather than 1 April 2027. This will give companies additional time to prepare, with one full accounting year plus nine months (a total of 21 months) to get ready. |
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>Thanks to www.landlordaccounts.co.uk for sharing with us this morning.
Just are reminder that Wandsworth Council's new scheme went live on 1 April 2026 so if you have not applied for a licence you are at risk of a fine and Rent Repayment Order. The council is still running the early bird discount at the moment. One of the misunderstandings is that licensing only applies to HMOs.
The selective licensing scheme extends licensing to all private rented accommodation occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers in three council wards.
The three council wards covered by the new selective licensing designation are:
Remember, that the potential cost can escalate very fast (see article below) so if you are in these wards don't spend time thinking about this. You need a licence and it might cost you thousands if you wait.
https://landlordlab.co.uk/insights/wandsworth-selective-licence-cost-of-delay
A consistent gap we are seeing with new clients is a lack of a documented inspection history. That is understandable as it has always been seen as something that was optional and if you had a good tenant relationship then why stress?
The issue is that under a lot of Selective Licensing Schemes regular documented inspections are a condition of the licence. And a lot of landlords are not aware of this. What that means is that they could be exposed to a council fine for being in breach of conditions.
Our view is that 6 monthly inspections are a good move in a regulated environment. But check if you are licensed because it could actually be a REQUIREMENT - and one that not following could be up to a £7k fine.
Selective licensing schemes for properties in Greenhill and Marlborough launch next month.
Many standard single lets will now require a licence. Here's a link to the council guidance for those who may be affected.
The planning minister has stripped nine councils of the exclusive power to determine major planning applications for having too many decisions later overturned at appeal, placing them in special measures for poor-quality decision-making.
The designation means planning decisions on major developments could bypass the council, and instead head straight to the government for approval.
With planning being a major reason for landlords not being able to add to housing supply we welcome the move. It will remain to be seen if it actually results in quicker turnaround but it is a positive show of intent.
The reality is that this is not a long term solution and these problems do need to be resolved locally. Anti landlord and house builder sentiment is always going to result in poor decision making processes.
Councils in special measures as of 15 June 2026
Cherwell District Council
Dacorum Borough Council
Epping Forest District Council
Hertsmere District Council
Malvern Hills District Council
Rossendale Borough Council
South Tyneside Council
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
Wychavon District Council
Article 4 in this context means that HMOs in this borough will now need to have planning permission and not just a licence. Now that will catch some landlords out - especially the smaller HMOs which may be as few as three people.
We are seeing a lot more restrictions placed on HMOs in many councils. Which for proper operators is a challenge as they see illegal HMOs not even bothering to be licensed. But one to keep an eye on as this will add more costs and red tape to HMOs as an investment strategy.
It is not long now until landlords who get rent over £50k per annum will be required to do their first submissions. HMRC have said that they will take a sensible approach to enforcement in year one. But it is not going anywhere as a compliance requirement so our advice is to get what you need in place for Q1. A bit belatedly there are landlord focussed solutions coming on to the market. Having a consistent process or a provider will be key to keeping on top of this one.
We'd recommend three steps you should take that are easy wins:
- set up a separate bank account
- have a system for capturing and saving receipts and invoices
- use this as a chance to see if you are being tax efficient (that is where property knowledge is helpful with an accountant).
It is not long now until landlords who get rent over £50k per annum will be required to do their first submissions. HMRC have said that they will take a sensible approach to enforcement in year one. But it is not going anywhere as a compliance requirement so our advice is to get what you need in place for Q1. A bit belatedly there are landlord focussed solutions coming on to the market. Having a consistent process or a provider will be key to keeping on top of this one.
We'd recommend three steps you should take that are easy wins:
- set up a separate bank account
- have a system for capturing and saving receipts and invoices
- use this as a chance to see if you are being tax efficient (that is where property knowledge is helpful with an accountant).
One of the things that is catching some landlords out is that with the Renters Rights Act and Selective Licensing schemes a landlord's responsibilities have changed drastically. As have the potential liabilities which now reach up to £40k and 2 years of RROs. But many haven't checked if their agent is actually managing what they need now - not what they needed years ago when they signed up.
The reality is that this has been a huge change for the industry and not every agent is equipped for it. Lettings agents are primarily driven and skilled in sales so this is actually quite logical. They are not set up to manage risk.
The advice is don't assume you have yourself covered - check. Some agents will be on top of this and some won't. It's inevitable. So the best thing you can do is check what your service actually covers. Ask tough questions like "how you do you help me if I get a council notice - whether that is an information request, a routine check or a formal enquiry (valid or not)?" "What support are you contracted to provide me?" "Do you have evidence at hand that is mine to access?" "What are you RESPONSIBLE for?"
This is vital for landlords in 2026. So read your terms and ask some tough questions. Make sure you understand where your gaps sit so you can prepare accordingly. For example we just came across one agent (major chain) make clear in their terms that any tenant records are for THEIR use - not yours. That is a big gap the landlord wasn't aware of until they asked and it scared them enough to cancel the service and look for an alternative. After all what good is record keeping if it isn't something you even have a right to access and the records are being kept to protect the agent and not you?
Just a heads up to Landlords with properties in the Brent Council district. There is a Landlord forum on Monday with the link below for free tickets.
Landlord Lab UK will have a stand there are be on hand to help landlords understand how to fulfill their legal responsibilities and keep compliant under Renters Rights and Selective Licensing. We are also offering a free guide to help.
There’s a lot of change and it has brought a lot of risk to landlords. The best way to address it is to adapt how you operate. Feel free to say hello on Monday or if you can’t make it but are interested drop a line and we can arrange a call.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brent-landlord-investor-developer-forum-tickets-1985314910340
A damning Citizens Advice report has found that more than half (51%) of renters using a zero-deposit scheme were misleadingly told they needed to use it to rent their home.
As a Landlord this is not good news and something that you should check on if your tenants are using these schemes. Ultimately these types of actions undermine trust and a breakdown of trust is terrible for any tenancy and increases your risk. Ask yourself if you want an agent who is not honest with prospective tenants. If is not a good way to operate and I am sure that any properly qualified agent would agree that this type of behaviour should be prohibited.
The RRA and Selective Licensing do nothing about this type of behaviour. And the request from proper property professionals to formalise qualifications for estate agents and a code of conduct applying to the WHOLE industry has been largely ignored up to now. Even though in our opinion these changes would have a greater effect on protecting renters (and by extension landlords).
The Voice of Landlords Associations (VOLA) has urged Housing & Local Government Secretary Steve Reed to justify why growing numbers of councils are overlooking parts of the statutory guidance around landlord civil penalty fines in favour of a model formulated by Justice for Tenants.
This "non-profit" employs around 10 people it seems and made a "profit" of £180k last year. So there is some very fair questions being asked why councils are ignoring the law and listening to a firm that is self interested in creating cases it makes money from.
We agree with VOLA on this one. You can't have biased parties writing enforcement guidance. Imagine the outcry if we wrote the rules?
In our opinion the answer is a strong yes. They cover exactly the same criteria for almost all landlords and enforce the same housing laws.
When asked recently whether they would duplicate the Database, Housing Minister Baroness said they had different purposes. She added: “Unlike the database, selective licensing schemes aim to target specific local issues by enabling more intensive proactive enforcement strategies.
“We will continue to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Private Rented Sector Database, refining the way the two systems work together.”
But when you get past the rhetoric - what is different in practice? Nothing that justifies the fees being charged as far as we see.
Do you agree?