r/uklandlords

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published its report on PRS conditions. The takeaway is that the fee you pay to register on the Private Rented Sector Database should be set high enough to fund a "substantial increase in local authority capacity."

Your Private Rented Sector Database charge becomes a standing levy to underwrite the enforcement system.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook told Parliament last month the long-term goal is a "sustainable funding system" for PRS enforcement "based on future Private Rented Sector Database fee revenues."

In practice, it will be the landlords who register who will pay. The rogues who stay off the database do not pay the fee. They also do not get inspected, because the database is what tells councils who and where they are.

For portfolio landlords, budget for another recurring cost, not a one-off admin fee. For landlords with one or two properties, watch whether the charge is flat per property or per landlord. For anyone already in a licensed area, this is not a replacement. We will wait to see whether database and Ombudsman fees are merged or stacked.

I do think it's wrong to fund these things through general taxation, but my preference would be for those caught breaking the rules to fund the enforcement teams, rather than the tenants of good landlords who will pay from their rent.

Source:

- https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/mortgage-news/2026/07/03/landlord-fees-should-fund-prs-regulatory-enforcement-mps-say/

- https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/53987/documents/300931/default/

I viewed a flat in London that I actually really like. Good location, good size and the rent is fair for the building.

The issue is that when I viewed it, the flat was in a pretty tired state. The landlord has only recently bought it and, when my offer was accepted, the agent emailed me a “final breakdown of terms agreed” which included agreed terms to replace carpets, replace mattress, replace dining chairs, make sure all appliances are tested and work (including heating), small joinery alignments around the property, and a full professional clean (including the sofa).

The carpet replacement was actually offered by the landlord rather than requested by me.

I paid the holding deposit, passed referencing and have now been sent the tenancy agreement. However, none of the above works are mentioned in the tenancy agreement itself.

My concern is that I sign a legally binding tenancy now, then move in and find half the works have not been done. I understand I could potentially pursue the landlord for breach of the written agreement/email, but realistically I don't want to spend the start of my tenancy arguing about carpets and repairs.

I have asked the agent to confirm the works will be completed before commencement and that the inventory will be prepared after the works and cleaning.

Would you consider it reasonable for me to also ask for the already agreed works to be recorded in a signed addendum to the tenancy agreement?

Landlord apparently had a bad experience with the previous tenant and has therefore been more cautious than usual with my application. I have also had a bad experience with a previous tenancy, so I feel like it is fair for me to want the agreed terms clearly documented before signing.

Am I overthinking this, or would you refuse to sign until the agreed works are formally recorded?

Hey everyone,

First-time landlord here, so still learning the ropes. I recently appointed a letting agent for full property management, and I’ve run into a couple of things that feel a bit off. Looking for some advice on whether this is a normal practice or if I should push back.

The GDPR Excuse: The agent is flat-out refusing to share the full tenant reference report with me. They claim GDPR regulations prevent them from sending it over. Instead, they just sent a Let Alliance summary showing the VISTA score and the verified income. Is this standard practice now, or is it a red flag? I feel like as the landlord, I should be allowed to see the full details of who is moving into my property.

Missing Landlord Reference: Looking at the Let Alliance summary, it looks like they didn't actually do a past landlord reference check. Is that normal for Let Alliance, or did my agent skip a step? If it hasn't been done, should I be chasing the previous landlord myself, or is that strictly the agent's job?

Would love to hear how other landlords handle this or if your agents pass over the full reports without a fuss. Thanks in advance!

How much approximately landlords compliance such as Gas and EICR cost for a 4 bed house in london? Also what is generally the deep cleaning cost?

Hello,

We bought our flat 11 years ago. Now we had decided to move abroad and we want to sublet the flat. We emailed the managing company requesting formal permission to let our flat. According to our lease, we are allow to sublet. Many similar flats in our street are let.

We got a response from managing company in which the landlord rejected the consent without given any reasons. A blank "No"

We have already replied to that asking for reasons and mentioned that our lease allows to let and that we have already found a tenant that fits perfectly for the property.

We are waiting for them to come back.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT

Thanks for the comments it helped me greatly and make me review the documents. I realized we had two lease documents and only the older one applied to our property. In the older lease, we are not required to request permision to let, unlike the newer lease that applies to the shop downstairs.

MANY THANKS!!!

Hi,

I am in Scotland. A month ago I vacated the flat I was living for 6 years. The landlord didn't kept the check in/inventory document, while I still have it. The flat was very dirty when I entered (it was during covid and I wasn't allowed to do a viewing) and I didn't realize how bad it was at the time. The check in shows some of the issues the flat had. I received a check out from the estate agency and it's much more detailed than the check in, they mention things that are the tenants responsibility (mostly cleaning related) but I don't see it fair for me to leave the flat cleaner than how I found it. They are asking me if I have the check in report, because they found some items in the flat that were already there and I left them there. Should I send them the check in document? I don't want to shoot myself on the foot...

Hi, I have decided to let out my one bedroom flat, I know that I have to apply via the council for a selective license.

The estate agent is waiting for me to sign the terms and conditions and wants to start advertising the flat for rent . She says that it is ok to apply for the license - that it could take 3-6 months and that the tenancy can start so long as there is an applicaton submitted.

My question: - is this correct ? Is an application made enough before a tenancy starts? Or should I wait for the actual license decision.

What happens if the license is refused and I have a tenant - in terms of ending a tenancy legally. thorugh one of the main allowed reasons or them wanting to claim back their rent for 12 months?

It shouldn't be a problem i think to obtain a license, as many other flats in our building are let out. But I am someone who worries about these things. I tried calling the council and no one picks up.

I really appreciate your advice. Let me now if you need the council name in London in case it makes a difference. Thank you for your help.

My partner moved in with me and let his property via a letting agent. The tenants were a couple with child and intended to stay long term. The property was let at market rate and rent has not been increased much since. We have pushed for increases and the agent has strongly discouraged it (to point of refusal), advising a settled tenant is better than the income. We have just about been breaking even. We were made aware last year that the partner has left and tenant is struggling with rent as single parent so further reason why we cannot increase rent.

Our circumstances have changed and we have left the UK. Our leave date was last week. Our family home is let through a different agent. His general views on renting are more in line with our own. We put the request in to agent 1 to move the property to agent 2. Agent 1 insisted on enforcing his 2 month notice period for moving properties. This request was at the start of June so due for handover to be completed by end of August.

We learnt a few days a go that a week after we initiated transfer of property, the tenant gave notice to leave. Agent 1 for years has reassured us, they had no intention of leaving so this all seems a bit coincidental, right?

I need some advice and guidance on what might be going on here. Can an agent encourage a tenant to leave with them? What motivation might there have been for not making me aware (other than pettiness)? What can I do about the 3 weeks of lost time where the property could have been marketed, if anything?

Full handover of property is due a week before the tenant is due to leave. What should I be pushing agent 1 to do to prep for the tenant leaving? They put up wallpaper with our permission. They have drilled some holes for hanging without permission. They also have a pet they didn't tell us about until we walked past and saw it. In response to this, they suggested increasing rent amount. The house was also professionally cleaned before they moved in.

As I've said, I am new to this and still learning so please don't just post to bash me. I'm asking to learn for the future.

This used to be the list of documents that were required to be sent for each new tenancy

Now post renters rights reform I am wondering what is required because it is so confusing - For example the how to rent booklet no longer is needed and the tenancy from NRLA is a new format called assured periodoic tenancy

What documents are needed for a new tenancy

1. Tenancy agreement  

2. Signed deposit certificate

3. Deposit prescribed information for your records - To follow once deposit received 

4. EPC certificate  

5. property inventory 

6. Document register  

7. Gas safety certificate  

8. EICR electrical certificate for your records 

9. GDPR Notice  

10. Selective License  

11. How To Rent Booklet

Hello guys, it’s a long story but I’ll try to make it short.

I’m based in England

I moved into an HMO property on 18th May 2026. The day after moving in I went for a trip and can be back 6 days later.

After sleeping at the property a few days I noticed I was getting bites regularly, I assumed it was mosquitoes and the weather was getting quite hot.

After further inspection I found out I have bed bugs, I have physically seen them and took pictures of them in various areas of the house. I also took pictures of the bites, as I seem to be reacting to the bites worse than normal. (Clusters,rashes)

I then proceeded to ask the other flatmates (6 in total) if they currently have or ever had issues with bedbugs and 3 of them confirmed that they do and it was an issue prior to me moving in. In other words, the house already had bed bugs and I didn’t bring them in

Upon further discussion I find out that one of the flatmates already mentioned the issue to the landlord well before I moved in, and the landlord has confirmed himself this fact.

I contacted the landlord about the issue on the 15 June 2026, and he immediately scheduled a pest control visit from the council.

The pest control officer came in on the 19th June 2026. They came into my room only (other flatmates weren’t home for the visit), checked only the bed quickly and didn’t find anything on the mattress itself but didn’t check anywhere else for bed bugs. Only my room was inspected even though the issue is in the whole house as I’ve seen them in other areas including the toilets (I have photo evidence of this).

Pest control sprayed my room and left, it’s been almost two weeks now and I’m still getting bites regularly from the bed bugs. And I still see them around the house

I’ve now been at the property for a month and a half and I’m kinda tired of getting bites and waiting for a solution with no end in sight.

We have another pest control visit on the 10th July but the landlord hasn’t told the other tenants to be home and hasn’t told the pest control that the issue is in the whole house and not just my room.

I gave a call to the landlord yesterday trying to explain that the issue is in the whole household, he claimed that there’s no proof of that and that we have to wait till the pest control makes that claim. He then hanged up the phone on me.

On top of this he keeps trying to claim he had no prior knowledge of the bed bugs even when he admitted he was notified of them months before by the other tenant. (I have a text from him confirming he was notified by another tenant)

Am I legally entitled to compensation?
Can I legally unwind the tenancy on the basis that the landlord has withheld information about a possible bed bug infestation?
Am I correct in stating the place is currently not habitable ?

Sorry for the long read

Every single year it it's the same exact headache trying to sort out my property's annual safety check and basic maintenance. I swear finding a decent and independent Gas Safe engineer in London right now feel like winning the lottery. Last week I had two different guys from those big trade directory sites completely ghost me andthe one who did show up spent twenty minutes trying to convince me my perfectly fine flue needed a total replacement. It just feels like a lot of independent contractors are either overbooked or just trying to invent problems to inflate the bill.i ended up getting an actual acredited local firm to handle the boiler service in London setup this time with wpj heating just to avoid the cowboy drama ,which thankfully went smoothly since they actually employ their own staff. But the overall market is just exhausting to deal with lately.

How are other landlords vetting people these days without people losing their mind? Do you just stick with the massive corporate national providers and pay their ridiculous premiums or did you find a reliable local network that actually turns up on time?

I'm wanting to get out but my property is tenanted... Just wondering if landlords are still buying and if so what yield they would go for?

Fleet Mortgages' Q2 Rental Barometer, published today, puts average gross rental yields across England and Wales at 7.8% this year.

The 7.8% figure is gross yield. It excludes mortgage interest, letting fees, maintenance, voids, insurance, licensing, EPC upgrades and tax. Whether a deal is "good" depends on the metric used, the location, the financing and the ownership structure.

• Gross yield is annual rent divided by purchase price. Agents quote it because it is the highest number. It's mostly worthless; maybe it highlights properties to look into more deeply.
• Net yield subtracts operating costs from gross. Pegasus Insight's landlord survey shows operating costs absorb 28–35% of gross rent before mortgage interest. Maintenance alone consumes 20–25% of rental income. A 7.8% gross yield therefore typically compresses to 4–5% net.

A "good" return survives a stress test. That means modelling rates 1–2 percentage points higher than the current pay rate at remortgage, two to four weeks of void per year, 1% of property value for annual maintenance, and the investor's actual tax band and ownership structure. A deal that cash-flows positively under those conditions is good. A deal that only works on optimistic inputs is not.

The consensus from landlords I talk to is that a good Gross Yield is 6–7%, and a good net yield is 4–5%. That changes from time to time, compared to other investments - where could your money be instead.

https://preview.redd.it/917xqikrdtah1.png?width=814&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a9998339116b1f3e4550bb444f27874915d3a51

​I’m looking for some perspective on a complex tenant situation. I have excellent, long-term tenants of nearly 10 years who have always paid on time. Because I was on a low interest-only rate, I rarely increased the rent. However, that rate expires in a few months, and between the new mortgage costs and Section 24 tax exposure, keeping the rent as-is will put me deeply into a monthly loss.

​The Backstory:

Initially, I planned to redevelop the property (loft/rear extension), which fell through due to planning. I then served a Section 21 notice earlier this year with the intention to sell. Due to shifting market conditions, I recently decided to retract the notice which I haven't informed her yet, renovate down the line instead, and implement a rent increase (which would still sit about 25% below market rate).

​The Complication:

When I met with the tenants to discuss this, the wife informed me that she and her partner have split. He is moving out and only paying up to the original notice expiry date. She claims she can cover the rent alone (potentially with housing benefits) and wants to stay. However, during my visit, I noticed the property’s condition has deteriorated significantly (poor garden maintenance, cleanliness issues and she also appeared to be struggling personally/physically.

​The Dilemma:

The Section 21 notice expires at the end of this month. If I don't apply for a court order now, I lose that leverage. I am caught between two choices:

​Enforce the notice, apply for the court order, and prepare for a few months of potentially no rent/eviction proceedings.

​Offer her a new tenancy agreement at the increased rate (perhaps adding one of her working-age children to the agreement for financial security).

​Given the relationship breakdown and property condition, I’m worried I’m opening a can of worms if I let her stay. How would you proceed?

I’ve been renting out my property for the past two years while working abroad.

My first tenants didn’t work out and moved out after around eight months. One half of the couple had some mental health issues, and following advice from our estate agent, we released them from their two-year contract early.

When they left, the house was in a poor state. We kept their deposit, but that only covered roughly a third of the damage. They didn’t challenge it, and we decided not to chase them for the rest — just chalked it up to a bad experience.

Fast forward a year, and we now have two really good tenants who are looking after the place very well.

Here’s the issue: we left a number of our possessions in the attic. All tenants were made aware that the attic was out of bounds, and there is a padlock in place to stop access.

On my first return to the house, I went into the attic to retrieve my gaming PC, worth around £2,000, only to find the box completely empty.

So my question is: what do I do now?

I don’t want to unfairly accuse the current tenants, especially as they’ve been great, but the PC has clearly gone missing from a supposedly locked and off-limits area.

Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? Should I contact the estate agent, police, insurance, previous tenants, current tenants — or all of the above? No, I do not have contents insurance.. 😭