Everyone’s feeling the pinch, the current cost of living is hitting hard across the board and as part of it Q1 survey, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) asked its members about the impact on their rental businesses. Almost 60% stated they are planning to increase rents next year to cope.
In the past 12 months
· 36% increased rents
· 60% held rents the same
· 4% reduced rates
Of these landlords, 42% refer to rising landlord costs as the high single influence on their decision to raise rents. When this figure is broken down, 74% blamed property maintenance costs, 40% cited interest rates and 29% said utility bills.
In the next 12 months
· 56% are planning to increase rents
· 43% will hold rents
· 1% will reduce rents
For those planning to raise rents next year, 65% cited landlord costs increasing. Key costs among this group include: 50% property maintenance, 28% interest rates and 21% utility bills.
HMO Landlords
72% of housing in multiple occupation landlords are planning to increase rents within the next 12 months.
· 54% blamed increased utility bills
· 49% cited property maintenance costs
· 36% blamed interest rates
Property and Sales purchases
In the past 12 months
· 15% of landlords sold property
· 13% of landlords brought property
In the next 12 months
· 27% are planning top sell property
· 17% are planning on buying property
*The stats above were taken from the NRLA survey published in the Summer 2022 edition of their property magazine
With the cost of living rising and the number of landlords selling up it's no wonder current tenants are working about being issued a no-fault eviction notice. There’s also the Renting homes (Wales) act being brough into play in December 2022 which a lot of landlords blame for placing too much risk on them.
Claire Green, from Miskin, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said she could no longer take the "risk" of being a landlord.
The single mum said she had already sold several of her properties. She said ‘"There are a number of clauses coming in which could potentially send some people with a smaller portfolio like myself bankrupt. A couple of properties, I was making very little profit on," she added. "I didn't feel confident enough to be continuing to self-manage and I just thought I can't do this anymore."
However, in a survey by BVA BDRC/Nationwide say 74% of landlords say they felt a sense of duty to support their tenants during times of financial difficulty and that 40% had already done so over the past 12 months.
This has included temporary or permanent rent reductions, a rental payment holiday or lending tenants money to pay for their day-to-day living expenses.
Paul Wootton, director of The Landlord Works, says: “Landlords are facing a real dilemma at the moment in dealing with the continued rising cost of living. On one hand, there is a need to ensure they can cover the increasing costs associated with their properties and ensure they are following the market. However, as our research demonstrates, they are also acutely aware of the financial challenges facing their tenants.
“While we will see rents rise over the coming months in many cases, we can also expect landlords to offer continued support at what is a tough time for many.”
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