The Renters' Rights Act's first phase has been in force since 1 May: Section 21 gone, rolling tenancies, no fixed-term assured tenancies. Five months on, three items from the past fortnight are worth putting side by side.
The Letting Partnership reports that available rental stock in England fell from 127,696 in Q2 to 112,190 in Q3, a drop of 12.1%, and as much as 42% in some places. Bristol was down 36%. A council in Chesterfield fined a letting agent £7,354.20 for issuing a six-month fixed term and for telling tenants who said they'd complain to leave. And the PRS Database is due to launch from December, with the NRLA putting the fee at £65 per property per year.
The report presents landlords leaving as a plausible explanation, not a proven one, and I'd hold it that loosely. What I'd say with more confidence is who each item lands on. Tenants in the cities with the sharpest falls are competing for fewer homes. Landlords with one or two properties face a compliance bill the same size as a large landlord's. And agents are the people most likely to be held to the details.
If you run student lets, go back to Ground 4A and check the notices. If you manage property for others, December is the cheap moment to find out how many landlords on your books know about the database.
Co-founder of Propalt and a property investor and developer for 20 years
