Hamptons Research

@Landlord_Shield @AnneAshworth @NickFerrariLBC @LBC Yes, the grounds are there on paper. It remains to be seen how the court system copes in practise.

@AnneAshworth @NickFerrariLBC @LBC @Hamptons1869 Most of this rush is panic. Landlords don't realise the new grounds still let you recover your property. Selling, moving in, rent arrears — all still there. Process changes, right doesn't vanish. landlordshield.biz

Great to talk with @NickFerrariLBC on @LBC about the big changes in the rental market, as @Hamptons1869 reports that there are 25% fewer homes to let than a decade ago. In advance of May 1, key day in Renters Rights Act, more evictions are taking place🏠 inews.co.uk/news/landlords…

@MarcopoloLondon @HenryPryor @AnneAshworth It’s number of rental homes on the market that’s down that’s 25%. There’s not really been a shift in the number of landlords using agents (about half do in some capacity).

@HenryPryor @AnneAshworth @Hamptons1869 ?

@LostInSW19 @RuthieGenie There's perhaps less difference than I thought there might be. Although a disproportionate share of older flats are in London which probably serves to inflate these values somewhat.

@Hamptons1869 @RuthieGenie Thank you.

My service charge is more than double the London average quoted in this piece and yet it's just a 1 bed shared ownership flat in a no-frills block.

@LostInSW19 @RuthieGenie I'll see what we can do.

@Hamptons1869 @RuthieGenie Thank you very much for clarifying. Is there any other way to further disgreggate data for purpose-built blocks, for example by year of completion?

@LostInSW19 @RuthieGenie We only include flats where there is a formal set service charge. So most victorian terraced houses split into two or three flats will be excluded.

@RuthieGenie Same. But of course the data includes leasehold flats in Victorian conversions where service charge is probably under £1,000 a year, so the stark reality of newbuild service charges remains hidden. It would be great if @Hamptons1869 could further disaggregate the data.

Flats with charges at 1% of their value are 50% more likely to find a buyer than those at 2% or more. Our full report is available here: hamptons.co.uk/articles/2025-… (5/5)

37% of flats now have a service charge exceeding 1% of the property’s value. This can be a barrier to buyers, as some lenders are tightening criteria or even excluding buildings where charges are a high proportion of value. (4/5)

The average service charge for a flat in England & Wales has passed £200 per month. Leaseholders now pay an average of £2,405 a year, a 4.6% increase over the last 12 months and a 32.6% increase since 2020. (1/5)

Thanks a “bunch.” Buyers and sellers are psychologically trying to out fox the valuation office to get the house they want or want rid off. Yet any home £100,000 or so under a threshold won’t stay that way for long and anyone buying at the threshold who’s worried about paying an extra £2,000 probably can’t really afford it. @Hamptons1869 found “The number of homes going on the market at between £1.8mn and £2mn rose by 5.6 per cent in the two months following the Budget, compared with the same two months in the previous year. At the same time, the number put on sale for between £2mn and £2.2mn fell by 6.5 per cent.” @FT @MrJamesPickford bit.ly/4aB14VI

Data from January 2026 shows incorporations are already running 11% higher than last year. 5,922 new buy-to-let limited companies set up in January 2026. You can read our analysis in full here: hamptons.co.uk/articles/recor… (4/4)

Why the rush to incorporate? Landlords are battling frozen personal tax allowances and higher mortgage rates. By moving to a limited company structure, they can offset mortgage interest in full against corporation tax—a move that makes sense for 75-80% of new purchases. (3/4)

There were 66,587 buy-to-let limited companies set up in 2025—an 8% rise from 2024 and a 363% increase over the last decade. The shift toward corporate ownership is the new normal for landlords. (1/4)

From May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act bans deals above asking prices. Landlords may raise guide rents, while lower supply could lift achieved rents in 2026. See our full release here: hamptons.co.uk/articles/decem… (6/6)

Across Great Britain, renewal rents rose 3.3% in 2025 to £1,310 per month. The £61 gap with new‑let rents was the smallest since July 2021, as many landlords have introduced regular increases to reflect higher costs and taxes. (5/6)

For the first time since at least 2011, newly agreed rents ended a year lower than where they started. New‑let rents dipped by 0.7% in 2025, signalling that the market is adjusting to softer demand. (1/6)