Like every month, Rentila offers you an overview of the main real estate news of interest to landlords and tenants. This month, we focus on: UK’s Build-to-Rent sector sees record £832m investment; UK house prices drop as motivated sellers slash asking prices; UK mortgage approvals drop for third month in a row; More than half of tenants will challenge rent rises; Rental reforms will not work unless Govt provides clarity; Government’s EPC targets for landlords are ‘unrealistic’… Happy reading and… renting!
The most sought-after city for shared living revealed
Cardiff has emerged as the UK’s leading city for shared living, with 16.9% of its listed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) already secured by tenants, a study reveals.
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Property industry reacts to Zoopla House Price Index
Buyers and sellers have sprung into action after Easter, with the number of sales agreed in May the highest in four years, according to according to Zoopla’s latest House Price Index.
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UK’s Build-to-Rent sector sees record £832m investment
A surge in Build-to-Rent (BTR) investment has propelled the sector to new heights, with a 50% rise in funding over the past year, research reveals.
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House prices dip in May after stamp duty change
House prices in the UK fell slightly in May after market activity dropped following the end of the stamp duty holiday earlier this year according to the latest data from lender Halifax.
Prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May after rising 0.3 per cent in April, putting the value of an average UK home at £296,648.
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The UK’s housing market faces recovery challenges
The UK’s housing market is navigating turbulent waters following a sharp 28% drop in transactions in April 2025, an analysis reveals.
It says the turmoil was triggered by stamp duty rules that cut the nil rate band and increased the surcharge for additional properties.
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UK house prices drop as motivated sellers slash asking prices
Buyer demand was up three per cent year on year in June, while the number of homes coming to the market has risen 11 per cent year on year, Rightmove found.
Sellers are “more motivated” to sell as buyers want to “take advantage of lower mortgage rates.”
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Rightmove reveals £1m homes for sale has doubled since 2019
This is according to a new report from property platform Rightmove, which also reveals that just over 5% of UK property for sale is now priced in the £1m or more bracket compared with slightly under 3% in 2019.
The analysis examined homes for sale between January and April 2025 and then compared those figures against the same four months in 2019.
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London lettings market gaining momentum
Foxtons has released its Letting Market Index for May 2025, which shows rising demand and supply in London’s lettings market due to “seasonal momentum”, with a more modest picture year-on-year.
The rise in applicant registrations and market listings last month continues to demonstrate resilience as we head into summer…
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Landlords miss out on green BTL mortgage savings without EPC reassessments
Landlords could be missing opportunities to secure cheaper green mortgages by not updating their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessments after making energy-saving improvements to their properties, a study reveals.
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UK mortgage approvals drop for third month in a row
The number of mortgages approved by UK lenders for home purchases dropped more than anticipated in April as the end of a tax break on stamp duty cooled demand, according to data from the Bank of England.
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Relaxed mortgage rules could increase first-time buyer deals by a quarter
Changes in the way lenders stress test borrowers for mortgages could lead to a huge jump in the amount of first-time buyers able to access the housing market, according to Savills.
Savills’ analysis found first-time buyer transactions could increase by up to 24 per cent over the next five years if lending rules continue to relax.
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Nationwide cuts mortgage rates, while other lenders increase them
Nationwide’s new lowest lending rate now stands at 3.9%, with reductions also made for those remortgaging to the Society. Rates for existing customers switching, which are not changing, already start from 3.84%.
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Average fixed mortgage rates stay broadly flat with small changes
The latest Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report data reveals the overall average two- and five-year fixed rates dropped by 0.06% and 0.01% to 5.12% and 5.09% respectively. The overall choice of mortgages fell slightly alongside a drop in the average shelf-life of a mortgage.
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Zero deposit’ mortgages surge 32% in past year
‘Zero deposit’ or 100% mortgages are loans where the value borrowed matches the value of the property being purchased. These products are primarily designed for individuals who haven’t been able to save enough to pay a deposit.
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Interest rates set to be held at 4.25 per cent – what it means for mortgages
The Bank of England will hold interest rates at 4.25 per cent on Thursday, economists predict, which could mean higher mortgage rates for longer.
Almost all major economic forecasters say the Bank will not cut rates, but could do so at its next meeting in August.
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Sharp decline in interest-only mortgages
UK Finance has released its interest-only mortgages data for 2024 revealing a significant drop in in interest-only mortgage stock of 17% over the year.
This analysis covers pure and partial interest-only homeowner mortgages as well as maturity and loan-to-value (LTV) profiles.
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Property market sees London rents plummet and unsold homes pile up
The housing market in Britain is grappling with a complex landscape as asking rents see an annualised decline of 1.8%, largely driven by a sharp downturn in London.
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More than half of tenants will challenge rent rises
Research by Leaders Romans Group (LRG) reveals that 53% of tenants are poised to contest rent rises as the Renters’ Rights Bill advances through Parliament.
The legislation, which introduces a tribunal process for appealing above-market rent increases, has sparked a shift in tenant confidence…
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UK renters hit hardest by inflation as household costs surge
Renters have seen costs rise twice as fast as people who own their homes outright in the last year, underscoring the growing social divide caused by the housing crisis.
Inflation for Britons who rent their homes climbed 3.6% in the year to March…
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Nearly half of landlords intend to raise rents before Renters’ Rights Bill
Nearly half of the UK’s BTL landlords (44%) plan to put up rent in response to the new Renters’ Rights Bill, new survey data from Landbay can reveal.
Of those who are raising rents specifically because of the Renters’ Rights Bill, landlords with portfolios of between four and 10 properties are most likely to increase rents (32%)…
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The UK’s rental boom is over
Rental price growth has slowed significantly, according to the latest figures from Zoopla’s Rental Price Index, with the average rents for new lets agreed 2.8% higher in April 2025 than the same time a year ago.
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Demand in the rental sector cools
Demand in the rental sector continues to cooling as more tenants seek to get a foot on the housing ladder, the latest Hamptons Monthly Lettings Index has revealed.
The number of tenants registering in lettings branches across Great Britain was down 17% on the same time last year…
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Renters’ Rights Bill could lock out vulnerable tenants from the PRS
The controversial Renters’ Rights Bill may inadvertently exclude some of the rented sector’s most vulnerable tenants, one firm reveals.
These include overseas applicants, self-employed people and those lacking a UK credit history.
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Rental reforms will not work unless Govt provides clarity
This is according to organisations representing individual landlords, build-to-rent providers and letting agents who are urging immediate action as the House of Lords scrutinises the Renters’ Rights Bill once again from the beginning of July.
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The UK cities where rent is rising fastest, and one where it is falling
The cost of renting is continuing to rise across most of the UK, but the rate of inflation has slowed to its lowest level since July 2001.
That’s according to the latest Rental Market Report from Zoopla, which analysed rents charged for new lets during the year ending in April 2025.
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A new ‘Airbnb law’ could change holiday let rules – what you need to know
A newly-proposed law could push for a major crackdown on holiday rentals and tougher regulations, in a step towards “restoring fairness” in the housing system in Cornwall and the wider South West.
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Landlords urged to act early for the Renters’ Rights Bill
The abolition of fixed-term tenancy agreements and replacing them with open-ended, periodic arrangements will redefine the dynamics between landlords and tenants, one PRS expert says.
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Higher EPC exemption cost cap could push landlords out of the market
Propertymark is warning the government to scrap the proposed £15,000 cost cap for exemptions on energy-efficiency upgrades, saying it will push many landlords out of the market.
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UK government warned against increasing tax on landlords
Scotland’s largest lettings and estate agency has warned the UK government against imposing higher taxes on landlords, which it says would worsen the housing crisis.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering requiring landlords to pay national insurance on their rental income, introducing a separate tax band for rental income, and levying VAT on residential property lettings.
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Thousands of UK landlords face £30,000 fine from next week after rule change
Thousands of UK landlords face a £30,000 fine from next week after a rule change. One in three landlords could face fines of up to £30,000, with one in three unaware that not having a valid EICR could result in a financial penalty.
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Landlords reveal their most costly mistakes with rental properties
Renovations that did not add value, selling up at the wrong time and not asking for a bigger deposit are among the costly mistakes that landlords have made, a survey has found.
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Almost half of landlords have made no preparations for Renters’ Rights Bill
The Renters’ Rights Bill is now in report stage in the House of Lords, but almost half – 48% – of UK landlords have made no preparations, new research shows.
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Government’s EPC targets for landlords are ‘unrealistic’
The government’s ambitions to boost the energy efficiency of private rented homes are ‘unrealistic’, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) warns.
Current proposals suggest that landlords may have less than two years to improve more than 2.5 million properties to meet a minimum energy efficiency rating of C.
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Swinney calls for more cash to address housing crisis ahead of spending review
The First Minister has urged the UK Government to take more action and spend more money to address Scotland’s housing crisis in the upcoming Spending Review.
At least 12 local housing emergencies have been declared across Scotland, with the first declared by Argyll and Bute Council in June 2023. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife and West Dunbartonshire Councils followed suit.
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The Greater Manchester city named as hardest place to sell a property in the UK in 2025
Salford has been identified as the hardest city in the UK to sell properties, with more than 82 per cent of listings remaining on the market after two weeks.
The research by Clifton Private Finance analysed data from property website Rightmove across the 80 largest cities in the UK to determine which locations present the greatest challenge for property sellers.
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A first home is not where the heart is: brits leave their first home after just 4.5 years
Despite the common adage of home being where the heart is, it seems buyers today are acting with their heads when it comes to their first property, with one in four (25%) saying they feel no emotional attachment and see it as more of a stepping stone.
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