The upcoming Renters Rights Bill is having little effect on the lettings market, it’s been claimed.
But Rightmove is warning that could change once it’s rolled out – likely later in 2025.
Its lettings expert, Christian Balshen, says: “I don’t think the Renters’ Rights Bill will change market activity much in the short term, but it will have broader implications.
“The rent-in-advance ban, for example, could make it trickier for some renters to get a home in competitive areas.”
The portal suggests the main priority for the majority of landlords will likely stay the same: finding long-term, reliable tenants — perhaps even more so, once the new rules are in place.
Rightmove’s comments come as its latest market snapshot suggests a boost in rental supply at last.
New buy-to-let mortgage loans jumped 32% at the start of 2025, compared to last year, which is helping more rental homes come onto the market.
Some renters are also becoming buyers, easing pressure on the rental side. That’s been helped by slightly better mortgage rates and a rush to complete purchases back in March before stamp duty changes took effect.
However the market isn’t fully back in balance.
Tenant demand is 10% higher than in 2019, while the number of available properties is still a third lower. So even with recent improvements, the portal say competition remains high in many areas.
Affordability also remains a big issue. Rents have grown faster than wages over the past five years. Since 2020, average earnings are up 31%, but rents have jumped 40%.
Each rental property is now getting around 12 enquiries on average, down from 16 this time last year. That’s still double the pre-pandemic (just 5 in early 2019), but it does suggest the frenetic market seen in the past few years is starting to ease.
And some 25% of listed rental homes have had their prices reduced — the highest proportion since 2018. This reflects both a cooling in demand, and the fact that many renters have already reached an affordability ceiling.
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