Over half of UK landlords (52.2%) are concerned about the impact of the upcoming Renters Reform Bill on the industry, according to research from Confused.com.
The report provides an in-depth analysis of the current buy-to-let sector, including the potential effects of the Renters Reform Bill.
The findings show landlords’ hesitancy to rent to specific tenant groups. The most notable reluctance is towards tenants with a history of rent arrears (84.5%), students (47.7%), and those with pets (44.8%).
Other groups facing challenges in securing rentals include individuals requiring property adaptations (44.3%) and those receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (43.9%).
The Renters Reform Bill is set to address these biases, obliging landlords to consider pet requests and ending blanket bans on benefit claimants and families with children.
Landlords’ major concerns for the future of the private rented sector are legislative changes (52.2%), followed closely by tax changes (49.5%) and financial concerns (46.9%).
Tenant behaviour and recent legislative and tax changes are also contributing factors to their apprehension.
Looking ahead, 47.7% of landlords plan to keep their property portfolio unchanged over the next two years.
Meanwhile, 19.7% have not yet made plans, and a smaller group (9.6%) intends to sell all properties and exit the business.
