housing stats and facts News
16/04/2026
Around 350,00 of homes are standing empty because councils lack the money and staff to bring them back into use, the industry’s main agents’ body has warned. The organisation, analysed 226 Freedom of Information responses from local authorities.
…
Read news
27/03/2026
According to a spokesperson from a respected Bank, the Midlands and the North now represent a greater proportion of landlord acquisitions than the South, signalling a clear regional shift in buy-to-let activity.
New research from th…
Read news
18/03/2026
The strength of the landlord–tenant relationship is emerging as the most decisive factor in whether renters choose to stay put. New research from a major agency group shows that 68% of tenants see their relationship with their landlord or agent as…
Read news
11/03/2026
Sadiq Khan has written to billionaire landlord Asif Aziz after allegations that his company is issuing large numbers of Section 21 notices in the run-up to the planned ban.
The claims centre on homes owned by Criterion Capital, wher…
Read news
23/02/2026
Peers have confronted ministers over the Renters’ Rights Act amid warnings that 110,000 landlords are set to leave the sector in 2026.
In a heated Lords session, Conservative peers questioned whether the reforms risk worsening an al…
Read news
23/02/2026
A new Deposit Protection Service report shows that 51% of landlords raised rents over the past year — a slight drop from 53% the year before.
The DPS’s twice-yearly Private Rented Sector Review, based on responses from more than 1,0…
Read news
20/02/2026
A lettings firm has urged the government to urgently overhaul higher-education funding, warning that university is becoming unaffordable for many.
It says rising debt and increasing living costs are shutting out a growing number of …
Read news
13/02/2026
Rental growth has slowed sharply, with annual increases now sitting below both inflation and wage growth for the first time in several years—a clear sign the market is beginning to rebalance after an overheated period. For landlords, the shift poi…
Read news
03/02/2026
Surveys across the sector reveal a clear trend: one in three letting agents say more landlords are now putting their properties up for sale.
The UK’s private rented sector is being squeezed to breaking point, with rental supply coll…
Read news
28/01/2026
A lettings industry platform says landlords remain hesitant to open their doors to tenants with pets, despite upcoming legal changes intended to strengthen renters’ rights.
From May, the Renters Rights Act will give tenants far grea…
Read news
15/01/2026
New Zealand and Portugal have both reversed course on key rental regulations after tougher rules prompted large numbers of landlords to leave the market. Their retreats are now being cited by analysts urging Labour to reconsider its own proposals.…
Read news
14/01/2026
Planning approval was granted for only 42,000 new homes in England in the third quarter, a 31% fall compared with the same period last year and the lowest quarterly figure in more than 15 years.
The numbers underline the scale of th…
Read news
14/01/2026
The head of a leading PropTech company is forecasting a major shake-up in how the private rental sector will look by 2026.
A director at the lettings agents’ software firm has outlined four key areas where he expects significant cha…
Read news
13/01/2026
Around two-thirds of landlords say they intend to invest further in their portfolios, even as uncertainty continues to hang over the private rented sector.
A new survey from a property management and finance platform reports that 66…
Read news
12/01/2026
Shelter and the NASUWT teaching union have joined forces to warn that “sky-high private rents” are helping to drive a surge in homelessness this Christmas.
New research from the housing charity and the union suggests that more than …
Read news
19/12/2025
A leading independent lettings agent is warning landlords about what she calls “the hidden costs harming landlord returns” — charges she claims are quietly added by major corporate agencies.
Vashti Sperring, the agency’s operations …
Read news
17/12/2025
A new analysis from Rightmove indicates that although rental housing stock is, on average, more energy efficient than homes in the resale market, looming tougher standards have failed to spur faster upgrades.
The policy drive launched in 2…
Read news
17/12/2025
New research from a leading bank reveals that younger landlords are driving the rise in buy-to-let properties held within limited companies. Over the past decade, many new entrants have adopted corporate structures from the outset.
…
Read news
15/12/2025
The UK’s Build to Rent sector continues to expand, but concerns are mounting over a slowdown in new projects.
Image credit: iStock
Figures from a compliance branded company show that by the third quarter of 2025, a total of 139,13…
Read news
12/12/2025
An official survey reveals that recent law changes and looming tax pressures are driving property owners out of the private rented sector.
Image credit: Unsplash
A leading landlord association has warned the trend could push more …
Read news
Older News
Fit for Habitation|March 2019 The ACT is intended to define minimum standards a rental property MUST
be and makes a clearer pathway way for Tenants to be compensated|https://www.pims.co.uk/fit_for_habitation_act_march_2019/
Guarantor|The person who provides a guarantee and promises to make payment good should the person responsible for the agreement fail|http://www.pims.co.uk/guarantors/
MEES|The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Landlords are charged with the requirement to bring their rental property to a minimum EPC rating of E. Property with F and G rating will effectively be banned from the rental market April 2018 |http://www.pims.co.uk/epc/
Section 11|Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 places an obligation on the landlord to maintain the structure and exterior of the property, including installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity, heating systems, drainage and sanitary appliances|http://www.pims.co.uk/landlord-section-11-repairs/
serving date|This date is the date deemed received at the property - as an example if posted allow for posting days|/serving-notice-on-a-tenant-delivery-days/
Tenancy Application|The objective of vetting is to empower yourself so you can make an informed decision as to the calibre of the prospective person. Making your decision on facts and figures is invaluable and this is why you should always take references. The application form also provides you with permission to perform credits. This form details all the information you should ever require deal with most eventualities including absconding tenants|http://www.pims.co.uk/doc/57/
Tenant Fees|From June 2019 where renting properties in England gone are the days of charging for admin, letting fees, vetting, references,
inventory, check in, check out, cleaning, pet insurance or ANY other fee
that is not explicitly permitted within the legislation. |https://www.pims.co.uk/ban_letting_fees_act_2019/