Whether it’s warnings about the impending introduction of Renters’ Rights legislation, the rental yield from HMOs, or the cost of tenancy void periods, landlords and the private rental sector seem to have stolen many of the UK property news headlines just recently.
Let’s dig just a little bit deeper …
Landlords reminded to evidence decision-making to help avoid fines
When the main articles of the long-awaited Renters’ Rights Act come into force on the 1st of May, tenants will be given greater powers and local councils will have greater authority to enforce the legislation, warns an article in Landlord Zone recently.
Landlords who want to safeguard their position and interests in this new regime will need to keep more detailed records of everything, from meetings with tenants and officials, telephone calls, estimates, and payslips for work done simply as evidence of their decision-making and the reasons for handling tenancy issues in a particular fashion.
Under the new rules, landlords could face fines of anything between £3,000 and £40,000 if they fail to comply with the strict provisions of the Act.
Meticulous record-keeping, regular inspections, and reports on the condition of the property will provide landlords with any evidence they need to support their decision-making and actions.
Study says average HMO yields at 7.3% as traditional rental returns ease
Landlords in the conventional private rented sector are under pressure and struggling to turn a profit, argued an article in Property Wire on the 5th of February. Indeed, 15% of landlords are currently running loss-making buy to let businesses suggests the study.
Although average yields across the buy to let market as a whole stood at 6.4% at the end of the year, profitability is increasingly uneven, and many landlords operate on a very fine profit margin.
Underlining the uneven nature of profitability in the private rented sector and emphasising a growing performance gap is the current average yield of 7.3% for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), compared with the whole market average of just 6.4%.
Welsh private island on the market for less than the price of a London flat
Have you ever wanted to own your own island – your own haven of tranquillity, safely cut off from the hustle and bustle of the nearest mainland? According to a notice published in the Standard on the 11th of February, it could be well within your grasp.
Ynys Gifftan is a rocky island off the coast of North Wales, near Portmeirion. On its 17.74 acres sits an abandoned farmhouse, with views of Snowdonia, surrounded by beaches that fill with tidal pools perfect for swimming.
Probably the single outstanding feature of Ynys Gifftan, though, is its listed price – a snip at £350,000 and considerably less than the average £427,700 you’d need to pay for a flat in London.
For budding hermits or anyone bent on just getting away from it all, the island is completely cut off and can only be reached by boat at high tide. When the tide is out, it is possible to walk the 400 metres across to Ynys Gifftan – provided you’ve donned your trusty wellington boots.
Rising void period costs put pressure on BTL landlords
Further pressure is on private sector landlords in England through the rising cost of inevitable void periods between tenancies, according to Property Industry Eye on the 18th of February.
Thanks to higher rents and rather longer void periods, the cost of that gap between tenants moving out and new ones moving in has increased by an average of 13.8%. In one region of England, that increase has reached almost 64%.
The length of the average void rose from 21 to 23 days last year, and the average rent went from £1,370 a month to £1,424. The combined effect of these increases saw the average cost of a void period go from £946 at the beginning of 2025 to £1,077 by year’s end.
