Landlord press review: November 2025
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 prices rise at fastest rate since January; London house prices set to surge by £31k in two years; Buy-To-Let rates: Where are they heading?; The Section 21 notice error that ruined a landlord’s case; Government publishes guide to Renters’ Rights Act… Happy reading and… renting!
The market
Housing market records first annual fall in new sales in two years
Uncertainty over the November Budget has driven a growing ‘wait and see’ attitude among home buyers, leading to the first annual fall in new sales agreed in two years, Zoopla’s latest house price index reveals.
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Property transactions lift 4% in September
UK non-residential transactions over the same period came in at 9,910, 4% lower than a year ago and less than 1% lower than in August, according to the customs body’s seasonally adjusted provisional estimate.
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Landlord optimism surges as confidence rebounds in the buy to let market
Positivity is returning to the buy to let sector, with landlord confidence more than doubling since last year’s Autumn Budget.
A lender says its survey found that 36% of landlords now feel upbeat about the future of their rental businesses…
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UK house prices rise at fastest rate since January
UK house prices edged higher in October, rising at the fastest pace since January as buyer demand remained high despite market uncertainty.
Prices increased by 0.6 per cent last month, marking the fourth time in five months the average price has increased, following a sharp 0.3 per cent drop in September, according to the latest Halifax house price index.
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London house prices set to surge by £31k in two years
A surge of American investment into the UK is expected to breathe new life into London’s property scene, according to new analysis.
During the recent US State Visit, more than £150 billion in transatlantic investment commitments were announced…
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London housing market worth £2.64 trillion
Homes in London account for almost a quarter of the value of the entire UK residential market, new analysis from Zoopla has found.
The capital’s 3.8 million homes are worth an estimated £2.64 trillion, the figures show, which is equivalent to around 24 per cent of the worth of the country’s entire residential market.
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Housing market activity levels drifting lower amid a lack of buyer confidence
The UK housing market is cooling, with buyer demand, sales activity, and new listings all falling further into negative territory, according to the latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey for October 2025. Survey respondents largely blamed uncertainty ahead of the forthcoming Autumn Budget and potential tax rises.
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Biggest November drop in UK asking prices in over a decade amid Budget uncertainty
UK asking prices have shown their biggest November drop in more than 10 years amid Budget jitters and a decade-high number of homes for sale.
Average new seller asking prices fell between October and November by 1.8% from £371,422 to £364,833.
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Mortgage
Rates at 70% LTV see most substantial falls
While there was not much movement in the overall averages for two, three and five-year fixed rates, borrowers with a 30% deposit or equity were the biggest winners from lenders’ latest round of repricing.
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Buy-To-Let rates: Where are they heading?
Every landlord knows that mortgage rates make or break portfolio cashflow. With thousands of fixed-rate deals coming to an end in 2025, the big question is simple: where are buy-to-let mortgage rates heading? While no one has a crystal ball, we can look at the economic signals, lender behaviour and regulatory environment to forecast likely trends and help landlords prepare.
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Inflation hope triggers mortgage rate cuts from four major banks
A mortgage price war has been initiated by four of the UK’s six largest banks, which have cut their fixed-rate deals in response to positive news on inflation.
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Mortgage borrowing hits six-month high as approvals rise: BoE
This figure is the largest amount since March, when net borrowing hit £13.2bn, according to the Bank’s latest Money and Credit report.
House purchase approvals rose by 1,000, to 65,900 in September.
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BoE vs govt: what is driving mortgage rates?
The tug of war between the Bank of England’s monetary policy and government fiscal policy over what is driving up mortgage rates has intensified in recent years, making life more challenging for advisers and borrowers.
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Bank of England holds interest rates at 4%
The Bank of England (BoE) has held interest rates at 4%, a move that came as no surprise to markets and economists watching closely for signs of a shift in monetary policy.
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Lenders drive down the cost of low deposit mortgages finds Moneyfacts
Moneyfacts latest UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report data reveals the average two-year fixed rates at 95% and 90% loan-to-value have fallen to their lowest points since September 2022. The reduction in cost coincides with a rise in the choice of deals at 95% loan-to-value, reaching its highest count in 17 years (March 2008).
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Rent
Rent crisis will keep breaking new records without action
The affordability gap between rental prices and support for low-income tenants is set to reach a record 17 per cent next year, findings from the influential Resolution Foundation show. This represents an average shortfall of £104 a month – or just over £1,200 a year…
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Rental market keeps tenants stuck in a rut
A research found that the top three deterrents to tenants moving are the “lack of available housing within budget”, “the shortage of rental supply”, and “stiff competition from other renters”.
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UK rental complaints hit record high
Freedom of Information responses from councils across the country show the average number of complaints made by private and social tenants per local authority rose to a record 1,200 in 2024 from 1,150 a year earlier, and compared to less than 700 ten years ago.
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UK rents to grow 12% over next 5 years
UK rents are set to grow by 12 per cent over the next five years as the market returns to predictable conditions, analysis from Savills has found.
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Wales and the North East hit hardest as rental affordability gap widens
The picture is even starker in the North East, where rents rose 6.1% in a month, while the income needed slumped by more than 20% year-on-year, from £34,410 to £27,330.
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Advice
Why every landlord should calculate CGT before selling a single property
For many landlords, the aim of reducing or clearing debt feels like the natural next step. After years of toil and layers of additional legislation, the appeal of reducing exposure to hassle and risk, and becoming mortgage-free, is undeniable.
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The Section 21 notice error that ruined a landlord’s case
The landlord thought they had done everything right. Arrears were mounting, and the time had come to regain possession. A Section 21 notice was served, and the landlord confidently applied to court. But at the hearing, the judge dismissed the claim.
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Landlords urged to prepare ahead of 30th April 2026 deadline for Section 21 notices
The government has published guidance on the Renters’ Rights Act for landlords and letting agents, including a guide on evicting tenants and key dates.
Section 21 claims will continue if started before the deadline…
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Other
Seven in 10 students unaware of Renters’ Rights Bill and its impact on them
A survey has revealed that 68.6% of students have never heard of the Renters’ Rights Bill, despite it being due to reshape the student accommodation landscape as early as next year.
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Landlords say government cannot deliver leasehold promises
Almost two-thirds of landlords (64 per cent) think the government will be unable to deliver leasehold reform by the end of this parliament, according to a new research.
In March, the government said it would ban the sale of new leasehold homes by the end of this parliament in what ministers described as the end for a centuries-old “feudal system”.
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Does the Renters’ Rights Act punish landlords?
The Renters’ Rights Act has been described as the sector’s biggest shakeup in 40 years. Will it punish landlords, or just hold rogue ones to account? Read what the experts say…
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Everything we know about Rachel Reeves’ rental law breach
The Chancellor previously admitted to mistakenly breaching Southwark Council’s housing rules by not securing a “selective” licence for the property when she began renting it out for £3,200-a-month following her move into No 11 Downing Street.
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The gas safety lapse that left a landlord exposed
The landlord thought it was just a formality. The boiler was new, tenants were happy, and time slipped by. When the gas safety check was missed by just a few weeks, it hardly seemed serious. But the tenants knew their rights. They reported the oversight, and the landlord suddenly faced the possibility of enforcement action…
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Government publishes guide to Renters’ Rights Act
The government has published an official guide to the Renters’ Rights Act, setting out what the new legislation means for letting agents, landlords and tenants.
The guidance explains the key changes to rental rules, but fails to outline when the new measures will take effect.
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Landlords urged to move beyond personal opinions on pets
A lawyer has warned landlords and letting agents to focus on asking the right questions about pets rather than relying on their personal feelings.
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Rachel Reeves considers new property tax raid for middle-class homeowners
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to deliver the Autumn Budget in a fresh effort to plug the £40 billion black hole that has overshadowed the Labour Party Government.
On November 26, reports suggest the Chancellor may target middle-class homeowners, implementing a £600 million property surcharge that will impact approximately 300,000 homes.
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Tenancy Deposits – a rounding error could cost landlords dear!
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA) has received Royal Assent and will be implemented in stages starting on 1 May 2026. Landlords need to be aware of a new risk, and those who try to protect themselves by taking the maximum permissible tenancy deposit need to check their procedures…
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