Welcome to our Autumn Newsletter
Landlord Broadband welcomes you to the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter. We hope that you enjoy it. If the latest industry news, customer market updates, and new content interests you, then read on.
Latest News
HMO Summit & Awards
On the 11th of July, we made our way down to Stowe House in Buckinghamshire for the highly anticipated HMO Summit and Awards. A few months on, we’re reflecting on the valuable connections made at the event. The professionals and businesses that attended provided a fantastic insight into the industry, and being able to sponsor the Best Commercial to HMO Conversion award was a fantastic honour. We look forward to next year’s awards!
NRLA On Tour
We also attended the NRLA On Tour Yorkshire 2025 at Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield on the 18th of June. It was a brilliant day of engaging with landlords and professionals, as well as interacting with the local community and gaining some expert insights into the industry.
Property Developer Show – Manchester & Leeds
This season, we attended two Property Developer Shows in both Manchester and Leeds. Both the Etihad Stadium and the Royal Armouries Museum were amazing venues, but what truly made the event were the professionals and service providers present. We enjoyed welcoming everybody to our stands, and both events gave us an opportunity to highlight why Landlord Broadband can improve property appeal. We hope to be back again soon!
Latest Blog Posts
The past few months at Landlord Broadband have been particularly busy, with two new blogs being published on our website. Our password protection blog focuses on the importance of strong, unique passwords as cyber attacks become increasingly common. We have also published a piece on the Scottish landlord industry, filled with information and updates to the sector, and how Scottish landlords can prepare for the colder months. To read our content and learn more about these topics, follow the links below.
How To Protect Your Personal Data
The Scottish Landlord Industry – Updates and Top Tips
Industry News
Legal
In 2025, major reforms are underway in the private rented and leasehold sectors. The Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to become law by late 2025 / early 2026, introducing sweeping changes: no-fault evictions under Section 21 will be abolished, fixed‑term assured short hold tenancies will be replaced by rolling (periodic) assured tenancies, and landlords will face stricter rules on how and when rent can be increased.
Meanwhile, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 is being rolled out in stages. Key updates already in force include removal of the two‑year ownership requirement before a leaseholder can extend a lease or buy their freehold; changes to the “Right to Manage” rules (so more leaseholders, especially in mixed‑use buildings, can take that option) and reducing or eliminating the requirement that leaseholders pay the freeholder’s legal costs when making such claims.
There’s also Awaab’s Law, set to take effect from 27 October 2025 for social housing, which imposes tight deadlines on landlords to remedy serious hazards such as mould, damp, gas leaks, and electrical faults, with plans to extend similar obligations into the private rented sector in subsequent years.
Energy efficiency rules are also tightening: from 31 December 2025, properties newly let will need a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C, with all existing tenancies expected to meet that standard by December 2028. Landlords failing to comply may face legal penalties.
For more details on these topics, we’ve provided some useful websites below:
What To Expect from the Renter’s Rights Act
Key Changes on Leasehold Reform
Critical Updates for Commercial and Residential Investors
Finance
The buy‑to‑let mortgage market has seen increased competition and rate reductions in 2025, with some lenders cutting two‑ and five‑year fixed rates and introducing products at higher loan‑to‑value (LTV) thresholds (for example, TML launched an 80 % LTV product). Meanwhile, average buy‑to‑let borrowing costs have fallen to three‑year lows, with typical two‑year fixes around 4.88 % and five‑year around 5.21 %.
On the tax front, the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) nil‑rate band for property purchases dropped from £250,000 to £125,000 from April 2025, and the additional property surcharge rose from 3 % to 5 %, increasing upfront costs for investors. Also, new rules are coming under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax: from April 2026, landlords with over £50,000 in rental income must keep digital records and submit quarterly returns using MTD‑compliant software.
Technology
Landlords are increasingly adopting smart meters, especially in the wake of the gradual phase‑out of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) which began on 30 June 2025. Properties still using RTS meters (300,000+) are being urged to upgrade to smart meters to avoid higher bills or loss of service. Ofgem is pushing forward new regulations that would require quicker appointment times, faster resolution of faults, and automatic compensation when service standards are not met.
On the broader PropTech front, there is strong momentum towards tools that digitise and automate property management tasks: AI‑driven dashboards and apps that enable tenant onboarding, maintenance requests, contract generation, rent collection and compliance tracking are becoming much more widespread. Smart home devices and IoT sensors (for energy usage, air quality, lighting, security) are increasingly seen not just as amenities but as value‑add features that help with sustainability, regulatory compliance, cost‑saving and attracting tenants. Also, new platforms are emerging to help landlords manage climate risk (e.g. flood, storm, heat modelling), fractional ownership / blockchain solutions, and more integrated marketing/tenant screening using data analytics.
Customer Markets
Landlords
Tenant demand is still strong but is showing early signs of cooling. A recent Pegasus Insight report (Q2 2025) found that 71% of landlords described demand in their areas as “strong”, though that is down from around 82% a year earlier. Advertised rents have risen too — up about 6.7% year-on-year across the UK.
On the supply side, there is a squeeze. Landlords are selling more properties than they’re buying, meaning fewer homes are being made available to rent. Q1 2025 data showed 15.6% of new sales instructions came from formerly rental homes — up from 9.8% a year before. Also, the number of landlords declaring rental income has fallen slightly in 2023/24, suggesting some are leaving the sector, especially small‑scale or “amateur” landlords.
Demographics of landlords are also shifting. The English Private Landlord Survey 2024 shows that about half of landlords only own one rental property; but those with bigger portfolios (5+ properties) own nearly half of all tenancies. Also, more landlords are older (55+), and there’s been a modest increase in female landlords.
PBSA
Student demand for PBSA remains strong, particularly in London and other major university cities, pushing rents sharply upward. In London, average annual PBSA rents have risen by about 18‑20% over the past two academic years, reaching around £13,595 in 2024/25, which in many cases now exceeds the maximum maintenance student loan available. At the same time, many students report affordability stress: about 14% of PBSA rooms in London now cost more than £20,000 per year, compared with just 5% a couple of years ago.
On the supply side, there’s some expansion but not enough to meet demand. Knight Frank reports nearly 16,400 new PBSA beds were delivered across 63 projects in 2024, a 3% increase on the previous year. However, the pipeline is uneven: while there are many beds with planning consent, fewer are under construction, and completion times are slowed by regulatory and building safety hurdles. Investor interest is high too: PBSA investment rose to around £3.5‑£3.9 billion in 2024, up 13‑14% over 2023.
In short: students are facing rising costs, especially in London; the supply of beds is growing but not fast enough to close the gap; and investors see PBSA as a strong sector albeit with some delays and risks.
Serviced Accommodation
Demand is recovering strongly, especially for short‑term and hybrid stays, as travellers combine business and leisure, and remote or project workers seek more flexibility. Rates are still rising in many urban centres: serviced apartments in London saw occupancy above 80‑85% during Q2–Q3 2025, with average daily rates (ADR) still strong despite some pressure from supply increases. But outside London, in regional UK, while occupancy has softened somewhat, ADR has often increased, helping to offset weaker occupancy in some markets.
Corporates and relocators are a growing customer base: more businesses are using serviced apartments for longer stays rather than hotels, due to cost, comfort, and flexibility. Also, demand is increasingly shifting into “second‑tier/regeneration” towns (outside the biggest cities), where operating costs are lower, and there’s a gap in quality supply.
Social Housing
The demand for social housing is rising sharply: over 1.3 million households in England are currently on waiting lists, and numbers have increased by about 10% in two years. In London alone, waiting lists hit their highest level in more than a decade in 2024, with 336,366 households registered and the count rising steadily since 2014. Meanwhile, losses of social housing stock continue — in 2023/24, 20,560 social homes were lost (via Right to Buy, demolitions, or transfers), slightly outpacing the 19,910 new homes delivered, leaving a net loss. On the supply side, void (i.e. unoccupied) social homes are at their lowest in three years (0.43%), showing landlords are improving turnaround, but that also reflects there are fewer homes available. Arrears remain a concern, especially among those on Universal Credit: tenants on UC are significantly more likely to fall into rent arrears than those paying by other means.
If you would like to know how Landlord Broadband can help you:
Email us at customer.services@landlordbroadband.com
Call 0333 577 0600