Landlord press review: June 2026
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 house sales surge as experts warn of stamp duty market distortion; London house prices fall as Bank of England rate hikes loom over mortgage market; UK mortgage approvals hit 15-month high despite rate pressures; Surge in demand for guarantors under Renters’ Rights Act; Renters’ Rights Act may shut out ‘riskier’ tenants… Happy reading and… renting!
The market
Housing market holds steady as first-time buyers spend more
First-time buyers are continuing to stretch further up the housing ladder despite higher mortgage costs and weaker overall buyer demand, according to the latest Zoopla House Price Index.
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UK house sales surge as experts warn of stamp duty market distortion
UK house sales soared by 53 per cent last month compared with the previous year, new estimates reveal, though experts have cautioned that stamp duty changes are “distorting” the market.
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Landlords demand ‘greater certainty’ among market volatility
Landlords are demanding “greater certainty” from lenders as the mortgage market becomes more “volatile”, research from Landbay has revealed.
The research, which surveyed landlords, found that more than 80 per cent of respondents currently view the buy-to-let market as either unstable or unpredictable.
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Expert warns of hefty prices as EPC deadline approaches
Energy Performance Certificates have been important in the rental market since 2008; however, many landlords have treated them as a box-ticking exercise.
Under the UK Government’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), all private rental properties in both England and Wales must achieve an EPC rating of at least a C or above by October 2030.
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House prices to fall 2% in 2026
Average UK house prices are expected to fall by 2% in 2026 as rising mortgage costs dampen buyer demand, according to a revised housing market forecast from Savills.
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London house prices fall as Bank of England rate hikes loom over mortgage market
Fresh insight into the UK’s lacklustre housing market revealed price declines for London and the South East on Friday, while the overall national rate of increase halved for May
The closely-watched Halifax House Price Index was released with mortgage holders and would-be home buyers eyeing interest rate rises from the Bank of England (BOE).
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UK housing slowdown deepens as sellers face 2026 reality check
Sales slowing sharply: Homes in England and Wales take 36 days to sell if priced realistically, but 127 days if overpriced, highlighting a widening gap between seller expectations and buyer budgets.
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UK house prices see biggest June drop in 14 years
Asking prices fell 0.6% to £376,191, the largest June drop in 14 years, reversing the usual modest seasonal rise.
Why the fall?: Rightmove cites high housing stock, early summer slowdown from May’s heatwave, the World Cup, and wider economic uncertainty.
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Mortgage
Buy to let lenders widen landlords’ finance options
Landlords arranging larger loans, borrowing for improvement work or buying through a limited company have new buy to let products and revised finance routes to consider.
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First-time buyers need extra £20,000 deposit to avoid mortgage hikes
A typical first-time buyer could need to raise more than £20,000 more for a deposit to keep their mortgage payments at the same level as before the Iran war started.
Mortgage rates have shot up since the crisis in the Middle East began earlier this spring and put upwards pressure on oil prices and inflation.
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UK mortgage approvals hit 15-month high despite rate pressures
Bank of England data shows UK mortgage approvals for house purchases rose to 65,945 in April, up from 63,979 in March and beating forecasts of 62,000. This marks the highest monthly total since January 2025 and exceeds the six-month average of around 63,100.
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Rising mortgage problem catching out UK homebuyers as banks slash house valuations
Thousands of prospective homebuyers are discovering a costly problem after agreeing a purchase price: their lender believes the property is worth less than they’re paying.
With searches for “house down valued” soaring by 243% in just one month, mortgage experts say the trend is becoming increasingly common.
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Buy to let mortgage searches fall again
Mortgage searches fell again in May, with 1,590,911 being carried out, down 7% on April’s figure and 15% below May 2025.
The data from Twenty7tec reveals that buy to let followed the same direction, with total BTL searches falling 9% to 249,403.
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Rent
Nearly half of landlords say they will raise rents in next 12 months due to Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes
Nearly half of landlords will increase rents over the next 12 months as a result of Labour tax rises, according to a new poll.
The National Residential Landlords Association found that 46 per cent of its members planned to charge their tenants more in the next year, because they would be taxed more heavily on that income.
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Rental supply shortage keeps pressure on tenants
Average rents across the UK continued to edge higher in May, with annual rental growth reaching its strongest level of 2026 to date as a persistent rental supply shortage and sustained tenant demand continued to place upward pressure on costs across most regions.
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Edinburgh rent takes 43% of salary in new UK cities affordability study
The gap between what workers earn and what they pay to keep a roof over their heads remains one of the defining financial challenges facing renters across the UK. While pay packets have grown in recent years, rental costs have continued to outpace many household budgets, particularly in some of the country’s most desirable cities.
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Surge in demand for guarantors under Renters’ Rights Act
Research by Zero Deposit suggests the proportion of local authority areas where tenants are likely to fail affordability checks could rise from one in five to almost one in two.
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Strong tenant demand shows need to back rental market
Demand was highest in Wales and the North East where 74 per cent of landlords reported strong demand, with the lowest levels of demand reported in the South East and West Midlands (cited by 51 per cent of landlords).
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UK housing market steadies but rental pressures persist
RICS reported that in May, new buyer enquiries and agreed sales both held at -34% and -37% respectively, marking the first time since January that demand had not worsened. House prices continued to fall, with a net -35% of surveyors reporting declines, and sales are taking an average of 21.5 weeks to complete — the longest since records began in 2017.
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Average rent in Yorkshire climbs to nearly £1,000 according to latest report
The average monthly rent in the region reached £959 in early 2026, marking a five per cent rise compared to the end of 2025, according to the latest quarterly property market report.
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Renters’ Rights Act sees landlords pause rent rises
Fewer sitting tenants saw their rent rise in May after the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, according to Hamptons, but they are facing bigger increases when they do.
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Advice
A third of Brits open to buying a home with a friend or sibling: Expert reveals the key pros and cons
With the continuing cost of living crisis in the UK, more Brits are exploring purchasing a home with friends and family to share costs and get onto the ladder sooner.
In fact, according to GOV.UK data, the number of households joint owned by two people outside of a romantic relationship has risen by 9.2% from 2015–16 to 2024–25, reaching 236,000.
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Other
Renters’ Rights Act may shut out ‘riskier’ tenants
Renters with poor credit records, unpredictable earnings or having nobody willing to act as a rent guarantor could face a tougher search for a home.
The survey of NRLA members found that those affected could include people with fluctuating incomes, international students without a UK credit history or a UK-based guarantor.
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12-month re-let ban puts landlords under financial strain
Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords who evict tenants in order to sell a property, but whose sale then collapses, must wait 12 months before re-letting it.
Last year, the government admitted it had not carried out an assessment of the impact of banning landlords from re-letting homes if a sale falls through.
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Landlords given clarity on reforms as Renters’ Rights Act takes effect
The government has given landlords further information on notice periods and rent paid in advance under the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May 2026.
In response to a written parliamentary question, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook clarified how tenancies where rent is paid in advance are being treated under the new periodic tenancy system.
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Landlords’ average income hits record of £89,000
Landlords’ average annual income has risen by £14,000 a year since last quarter to a record £89,000.
This could mean respondents are more likely to be professional or portfolio landlords and less likely to be accidental landlords than the general population, particularly as it also found the average landlord portfolio is now worth £1.69m.
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