While the temperatures rose at the beginning of a long, hot summer, UK property news continued unabated. So, let’s take a closer look at some of those headlines that brought news for renters, property owners, pets, and an apparent exodus of tenants from life in city centres.
Tenants and plug-in solar panels
Tenants could be allowed to install portable, so-called “plug-in” solar panels in private rented accommodation if government proposals are adopted, according to a story in Landlord Today on the 1st of July.
The initiative from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero would see tenants installing the mobile solar panels on places such as balconies and rooftops of their rented homes. Not only would this help to lower energy bills for tenants but could also advance the government’s pathway to a “solar roadmap”.
The rooftops of more than 1.5 million homes in Britain already carry solar panels for generating electricity and research suggests that up to 88% of the population already supports such a switch to sustainable energy.
Zoopla House Price Index – June 2025
On the 30th of June, the online listings website Zoopla published its house price index for June.
The index reveals a relative slowdown in the rate of house price inflation – which stood at 1.4% in June. But prices are rising more steeply in the affordable sector while slowing down in the upper echelons (homes greater than £500,000 in value) of the housing market.
While prices enjoy relative stability the volume of transactions is high – with an estimated 14% of homes currently for sale – and purchases completed at a faster rate than at any time in the past four years. The average time taken to complete a sale is currently 45 days – and the more realistic the asking price, the faster the sale.
The most notable increase in house prices is for semi-detached properties which have gained an average of 2.5% in value each year. Terraced properties have risen by an average of 2% and detached houses by 0.9%. Only flats and maisonettes have suffered an annual decrease in value – of 0.8%.
Lets and pets
In a press release dated the 25th of June, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) warned that last-minute changes to the Renters’ Rights Bill could leave landlords with the responsibility for insurance against damage by tenants’ pets.
Under the original proposals, the legislation was to have granted landlords the right to ask tenants for suitable insurance against any damage caused by the pets they wanted to keep in private rented accommodation.
The NRLA claims that such an undertaking has now been shelved and that landlords will not have the right to request insurance safeguards – if they want such cover, landlords may have to arrange it themselves.
Renters leave cities for market and coastal towns
High rents are fuelling an exodus of renters from city centres to the suburbs, market towns and coastal resorts, according to a posting by Property 118 recently.
In surveys of prospective flat sharers, not a single city centre featured in the top fifty of the most sought-after locations.
Instead, it was suburban, commuter-belt communities such as Beaconsfield, Caversham, Chadwell Heath, Harpenden, Hoddesdon, and Harrow Weald near London; coastal settlements such as Barry Island, Exmouth, Leigh-on-Sea, Lowestoft, Morecambe, and Shoreham-by-Sea; and market towns such as Ashton-under-Lyne and others.
A spokesperson commented that increases in area searches provide a useful indication of the direction the rental market is taking. They noted that the data points to a shift away from city centres, with growing interest in market towns, commuter areas, suburbs and coastal locations. This trend, they explained, is partly a result of more people working remotely or in hybrid roles, but also reflects the ongoing shortage of affordable rental properties in urban areas.
While average room rents in some regions appear to be stabilising, the spokesperson emphasised that affordability remains a major concern, with city living becoming increasingly out of reach for many tenants.
