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COMMENT Embracing positive change
The rental sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by legislative reform, rising tenant demand, and growing corporate investment. Andy Jones of Leaders Romans Group explores the challenges and opportunities ahead.
A
radical transformation is occurring in the rental sector. A signifi cant increase in corporate investment is creating new opportunities, while changes in regulation and legislation, not least the Renters’ Rights Bill,
are posing some new challenges.
THE ROLE OF POLICY AND POLITICAL CHANGE T e new legislation, introduced in September 2024, builds on the draſt legislation introduced in the last Parliament. T e previous legislation (the Conservative government’s Renters’
Reform Bill) did not make it onto the Statute Book, but had already made considerable progress through Parliament at the time of the general election. T e work which preceded it – the white paper A Fairer Rented Private Sector and the consultation A Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector – can be seen to have infl uenced today’s Renters’ Rights Bill. At Leaders Romans Group we work with a wide range of landlords – from individual landlords who own a single investment property, to
institutional investors, who operate larger-scale investments across many geographic locations within the UK and of course in the growing Build to Rent (BTR) sector. So we see the pressures of changing market conditions and imminent
legislation across the sector. And while we are strongly in favour of high standards in health and safety, security of tenancies and fair rents, we see a major problem facing the sector as being one of supply and demand.
CHANGING TENANT PROFILES According to the English Housing Survey, the number of households renting privately has increased by 93% in the last 15 years, while the number of owner-occupied households has grown by just 3%. T e increased number renting is not solely linked to mortgage rates or the economy, but is part of a longer term trend which also responds to the preference among younger generations for more fl exibility. T e same survey shows a new tenant demographic emerging: the number of renting households with dependent children has doubled since 2003/4, making up 30% of the sector and the
Housing Management & Maintenance April/May 2025
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