Ever since the initial proposals of changes to the rental system, which ultimately led to the Renters’ Rights Act, there were fears amongst landlords that they would ultimately be forced out of the market, selling via dedicated estate agents to whoever would buy in.
According to a report by The Metro, this may not have necessarily been the case, as fewer homes previously advertised for rent have been put on the market, landlord purchases exceeded sales, and 14,000 landlord businesses were registered in the first five months of 2026.
All of this data and other anecdotal accounts of landlords expanding their portfolios suggest that the Renters’ Rights Act has, if anything, galvanised and increased the number of rental properties on the UK market.
How true is this? Analysts are torn, and to understand why, it is important to know the case for and against landlords thriving, and what you should do if you are considering selling up.
Why Are Landlords Thriving Following The Renter’s Rights Act?
Part of the case for landlords thriving is that much of the substance of the Act only negatively affects bad actors in the space, where the end of no-fault eviction ended its use as leverage for vulnerable tenants.
In some respects this is nothing new; major changes to regulations often lead to threats of landlords leaving en masse as a protest tactic to try and halt certain parts of the Act, most notably requiring landlords to consider pets.
Whilst there will always be an adjustment period to new legislation and there are additional costs which can affect profit margin, there is still a large rental market and the potential to succeed when taking a long-term approach in line with rather than against your tenants.
It must also be said that some landlords may have already sold when it became clear the Renters’ Rights Bill was going to become law, but now the reality of the legislation has become clear, they have bought back into the market.
As well as this, with rent increasing exponentially even with the changes to the Renters’ Rights Act, many of the costs were passed to tenants before the Act came into place.
Are Landlords Equally Benefitting Following The Renters’ Rights Act?
On the other hand, some analysts have been far more cautious about the data, suggesting that whilst the rental sector is broadly thriving, the picture may not necessarily be as positive as it looks.
Some analysts have claimed that whilst properties are being bought for the rental sector in larger numbers, it is the consolidation of larger portfolios, whilst smaller landlords who let out one or two properties are planning to leave the sector.
There is also a growing trend of splitting homes into multiple flats or running houses in multiple occupation (HMO), where at least three tenants live there as part of more than one household.
There have been clear changes in how landlords operate following the Renters’ Rights Act, but until most of the major pieces of legislation are in place, it will be too early to tell the extent to which it helps or harms landlords.
