Landlords call for government support ahead of rental reforms

Landlord Report 2025

As a result of the Renters’ Rights Bill (RRB), the rental market is set to change more in the next 12 months than it has in decades. Our Landlord Report 2025 provides an analysis of what it’s like to let a property in 2025 and how landlords plan to adapt to the future.

Our survey of over 1,000 landlords reveals their biggest concerns, with an in-depth look at all 12 measures of the RRB and how they plan to respond.

You can find the full report here.

Government fails to make a positive impact

The majority of landlords (69 per cent) think the government has had a negative impact on the rental market in the past 12 months. Just four per cent believe they’ve made a positive impact.

Our data shows that the Renters’ Rights Bill and rising costs are the top challenges for landlords in 2025.

What support do landlords need from the government?

While many landlords accept more regulation in the rental market could have a positive impact, they’re calling on the government for more clarity and support.

When we asked what single action the government could take to help landlords, they said:

reducing the tax burden – 34 per cent
reducing regulation and red tape – 24 per cent
improving the court system to support lawful evictions – 18 per cent
providing more funding and grants for energy efficiency improvements – 15 per cent
providing more affordable housing supply – five per cent

A deep-dive into the Renters’ Rights Bill

The RRB brings the biggest changes to renting in decades. With parts of the bill expected to be introduced during 2026, we asked landlords which of the 12 key measures they’re most concerned about:

Banning Section 21 evictions (38%)
Giving tenants the right to keep pets (14%)
Replacing fixed-term assured tenancies with periodic tenancies (13%)
Limiting rent increases (8%)
Ending blanket bans on tenants on benefits or with children (7%)
Strengthening local authority enforcement (2%)
Strengthening Rent Repayment Orders (2%)
Extending the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals (2%)
Introducing a Private Rented Sector Database (2%)
Introducing a landlord ombudsman (1%)
Extending Awaab’s law to private rentals (1%)
Banning rental property bidding wars (0%)

The banning of ‘no fault’ evictions is by far landlords’ biggest concern, despite 71 per cent of them saying they’ve never used a Section 21 eviction.

Interestingly, 10 per cent of landlords said they’re not concerned about the impact of the RRB.

Are landlords increasing rent?

As part of the RRB, landlords will be limited to making rent increases just once a year. And any rent increases they do make will have to be in line with market rates.

This led some commentators to suggest that there would be a wave of rent increases before the new law is introduced.

When we asked landlords how they plan to respond to the limit on rent increases, they said:

I haven’t increased rent on any of their properties in the last 12 months – 34%
I’ve increased rent, but only for new tenants – 20%
I’ve increased rent for all tenants but was willing to negotiate – 34%

This means over half of landlords (54 per cent) haven’t raised their rent for existing tenants in the past 12 months.

The future of the rental market

It’s no surprise many landlords are looking ahead with unease — the number of landlords concerned about the future of the rental market has increased by three per cent in the last 12 months.

78% of landlords are concerned about the future of the rental market

But the response to whether or not a rental property was a still a worthwhile investment was mixed:

Yes – 39%
No – 34%
Not sure – 26%

‘More important than ever to understand landlords’ challenges’

Simply Business UK CEO Julie Fisher shared her thoughts on the findings of the 2025 Landlord Report: “Many landlords use their property as a stable financial investment whilst also providing valuable housing for tenants. Although there are clear challenges, 39 per cent believe a rental property is still a worthwhile investment.

“Despite their concerns for the future, most landlords remain steadfast in their commitment to letting their property. In the past 12 months, only 13 per cent of landlords have sold a rental property and almost two thirds don’t plan on selling (64 per cent) in the next year.”

“Insuring more than 300,000 landlords allows us to gain first-hand insight into the integral role they play in the housing market. But with the biggest changes to tenancy law in a generation almost here, it’s more important than ever to understand their challenges and perspective.”

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