Breaking Property News 18/09/25
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.
Exodus of Landlords – means lower supply and increased rents’
MPs have taken the Renters’ Rights Bill a major step closer to Royal Assent, confirming the scrapping of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions and the end of fixed-term tenancies, which will now convert into open-ended periodic agreements.
Ministers argue this long-awaited reform will rebalance the rental market in favour of tenants, offering them greater security and stability. Landlords, however, warn that it tilts risk too far the other way, eroding their confidence and accelerating the steady exodus of private landlords from the sector. Caught in the crossfire are letting agents, who face the challenge of navigating a rapidly changing regulatory landscape while managing expectations on both sides.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: without reforming the courts, nobody wins.
Tenants may welcome greater protection on paper, but if possession claims take months—or even years—to progress through an already clogged court system, landlords will price in the risk. That means longer voids and higher rents for renters.
Mass exodus of Landlords – means lower supply and increased rents
Landlords are being asked to take on additional risk and uncertainty. If removing a tenant for arrears or anti-social behaviour requires wading through a dysfunctional court process, many will simply exit the market, further squeezing supply. Agents will shoulder the fallout. They will be the ones explaining to tenants why rents are rising and to landlords why timelines for possession are unworkable.
Adam Pigott, CEO of tlyfe/OpenBrix, adds: ‘Without court reforms, the RRB will see a 20% drop in rental stock. My five decades in the PRS tells me this a continued attack on private landlords by this, and successive governments. I now represent the voice of the rational U.K. tenant who pays their rent on time. With the impending reduced stock, rents will soar! This government have received qualified coal-face advice by the leading industry bodies and ignored them all. Huge mistake!’
What makes Adam Pigott’s comment even more insightful is that as CEO of tlyfe an App that is helping over 200,000 renters get tenancy ready, he has the best interests of landlords and tenants firmly in focus. He sees that renting property is a symbiotic relationship, tenants needs properties to live in, Landlords need tenants who pay rent. If the balance of control goes too far in the favour of either player then adverse unforeseen consequences play out.
This Bill is being heralded as a landmark moment for renters’ rights. And in principle, moving away from insecure short-term agreements and unfair evictions maybe is a step forward for some stakeholders. But the legislative change risks becoming little more than political theatre if the practical machinery—namely the courts—is not fixed in parallel.
The bigger point that the government is failing to grasp is that in recent years rents are rising annually by 9% in the UK. And in the last year over 18% of all house sales sold, were Landlords selling up, double the amount of the previous year. This all adds up to fewer properties being available to tenants and maybe that 9% annual rise in rent increase could be double in 2026.
This will give the new housing secretary Steve Reed already grappling with his 1.5M new homes in five years (Industry experts predict delivery of only 876,000 in that timeframe), even more to deal with in his in-tray. The reformation of the legal system for the PRS and how to deal with the electorate faced with higher rental costs – caused by Labour’s lack of oversight.
A housing system cannot function if disputes cannot be resolved swiftly and fairly. Unless court reform moves at the same pace as the Renters’ Rights Bill, the result will be more friction, less trust, and ultimately fewer homes available in the private rented sector.
Proptech-X takeaway: Technology and digital innovation could play a role in streamlining case management and reducing bottlenecks, but without serious government investment in court capacity and digitalisation, this reform risks undermining the very people it claims to be helping.
Andrew Stanton Executive Editor – moving property and proptech forward. PropTech-X
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