Welcome to our Summer 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

NRLA Top Trade Tips Article

Read Landlord Broadbands latest Top Trade Tips article: The Renters’ Rights Bill: Can reliable internet help reduce void periods? Read it here!

NRLA On Tour Yorkshire

Landlord Broadband attended the NRLA On Tour Yorkshire 2025 held at Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield, on the 18th June.

World Telecommunications Day

At Landlord Broadband we pride ourselves in helping connect people for work, study and play. For you, this means Wi-Fi connectivity in every room! That is to say, no dead-zones and a consistent signal for tenants.

Industry News

Legal

Here are 4 reasons why landlords should remain positive during 2025:

1. The changes around rent increases, tenancy structure, and tenant protections in the Renters’ Rights Bill will create a more secure and stable environment for tenants. A stable tenant base reduces turnover and vacancy rates, providing landlords with long-term rental income.

2. The introduction of the Decent Homes Standard will raise the quality of rental properties – ensuring they meet minimum standards for health, safety, and decency. Landlords who maintain their properties to these standards will not only stay compliant but will also attract responsible, long-term tenants.

3. With the shift towards periodic tenancies and flexible terms, landlords will have more room to manage their properties in a way that suits both their needs and those of tenants. This shift allows for more dynamic management while maintaining the option of fixed-term contracts for those who prefer the stability they offer.

4. The prohibition of rental bidding wars ensures that rents remain transparent and fair, helping landlords maintain a positive relationship with tenants. This shift promotes fairness and reduces disputes around rental prices.

Finance

The Spring Statement 2025 didn’t include any tax rises, however billions of pounds in spending cuts were confirmed. Alongside a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) an announcement was made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves which contained a range of measures that could impact landlords. Firstly, there will be a large £5 billion of cuts to the welfare bill and £6 billion to international aid. The government has also pledged to cut the running costs of the civil service by 15 per cent, aiming to save £2 billion by 2030. As for economic growth prospects, the OBR halved its growth forecast for 2025 from 2% to 1%. This comes after the Bank of England halved its growth forecast for the UK in February. Official figures show that the UK economy grew by 0.1% in the last 3 months of 2024 but shrank by 0.1% January 2025.

This lack of economic growth its likely to have negative impacts on rental demand. Despite this, average rents are still expected to rise in 2025, although not at the rate seen in recent years. For landlords, this means potentially lower average yields, so it’s important to stay on top of your finances and make savings where possible. Landlords with buy-to-let mortgages and those looking to invest this year will be impacted by inflation of 2.8% and interest rates that remain above 45%. At its latest meeting in March, the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee held the base interest rate at 4.5%. It’s been hinted that the next base rate decrease could take place in August. Lower interest rates could encourage more landlords to buy property, while those on tracker buy-to-let mortgages could see their monthly repayments decrease.

Technology

Nationwide has launched a digital platform called The Landlord Works to help landlords organise investments on a day-to-day basis. The Landlord Works, is the first of its kind according to Nationwide. The app is free of charge to brokers and landlords and has 6 functions:

1. Resources and education

2. Portfolio management

3. Self-assessment tax return

4. Valuation tool

5. Property portfolio

6. Finances

These functions will, for example, allow users to download checklists to help with regulatory requirements, manage critical documents, such as energy performance certificates, and check real-time valuations of their assets. Further functions include the ability for landlords to submit their tax return to a third party processor with a 20% discount, connect their banks accounts to their profile, and use open banking technology to manage their finances.

Customer Markets

Landlords

The Renters’ Rights Bill raises the threshold for unpaid rent by 50% before a landlord can use the mandatory ground for possession due to non-payment. Letting unpaid rent accumulate will make it more difficult for tenants to manage their financial difficulties. It may also discourage responsible landlords from renting to individuals who cannot demonstrate they can maintain a stable tenancy.

As fixed-term tenancies come to an end, landlords will face uncertainty about whether their properties will be available to rent to new students at the beginning of each academic year. Although the Government has proposed a possession ground to address this issue, it currently excludes one and two-bedroom properties, which account for a third of student housing. This amendment seeks to extend the possession ground to cover all types of student accommodation.

The abolition of Section 21 will result in more possession cases going through the courts, even when landlords have valid reasons such as tenant anti-social behaviour or significant unpaid rent. Currently, it takes the courts over seven months on average to process and enforce such cases. The Housing Minister has acknowledged that the court system is severely under strain, describing it as being “on its knees.” This amendment, aimed at addressing these delays, has been put forward by Baroness Thornhill, the Liberal Democrats’ Housing Spokesperson.

PBSA

In a recent article, Excellion Capital identified purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and Build to Rent as two of the most attractive property investment types, based on their latest index. PBSA is seen as a dependable asset, offering consistent income and stable asset values. Demand from students remains strong and is expected to continue rising. Research by Cushman & Wakefield found that the 2023/24 academic year recorded a “record-high rental growth of 8.02%,” with the private sector seeing even higher growth at 9.39%. Glasgow topped the list, experiencing over 19% growth in private sector rents. The investment potential in PBSA is significant, with JLL estimating that €450 billion (£379 billion) will be needed to meet current demand across major European markets.

Serviced Accommodation

Despite hosting more than two billion guests since its launch in 2008, Airbnb has also faced challenges in recent years with some cities moving to ban short lets. Airbnb has recently updated its website. Firstly Airbnb now offers 10 lifestyle service categories such as spa treatments, chefs and photography. Experiences was relaunched in 650 cities with new categories such as celebrity chefs, athletes and artists. A new category on the website is called the Airbnb Originals and offers celebrity-hosted experiences which aims to expand Airbnb’s appeal to younger and experience-driven travelers. “People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnb’s for the space. Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds”, the company’s chief executive Brian Chesky said in a statement, external. Airbnb’s originals will initially be available in 260 cities, with the company saying they will cost from below $50 (£37.57). Finally the Explore page has been redesigned to sync recommendations for services and experiences with your travel bookings.

Social Housing

It is estimated that more than 200,000 children in short-term housing in England by 2029. This number of children in short-term housing is growing at an a continuous rate but the cost to taxpayer expected to jump to £3.9bn with number of children in temporary accommodation to rise 26%, says Shelter. Many children are having to stay in temporary accommodation for several years, often in dangerous, unhealthy and unsanitary conditions. The figures highlight England’s housing crisis and take into account government policies and projected house prices, A research investigation by Guardian shows that English councils are on average paying 60% above market rent to secure spaces in emergency accommodation, with a £2bn industry now having developed to house people who otherwise would end up on the street.

If you would like to know how Landlord Broadband can help you:

Email us at customer.services@landlordbroadband.com

Call 0333 577 0600