Rental growth slows ahead of Renters’ Rights Act
Original Article Summary
Average rental growth in England moderated in the first quarter of 2026, contradicting expectations that landlords would implement significant rent increases ahead of new legislation. Analysis shows that only around a quarter of landlords appeared to front-load rent rises before the Renters' Rights Act took effect on 1st May. The post Rental growth slows ahead of Renters’ Rights Act appeared first on PropertyWire.
PropMatch Curated Analysis
Rental growth in England slowed to 0.77% in Q1 2026, contrary to expectations of a pre-Renters' Rights Act surge, with only ~25% of landlords front-loading increases. The Act, now in force since 1 May 2026, restricts landlords to one rent rise per year, signalling a shift toward more strategic upfront pricing at tenancy start.
Investor Relevance
Directly relevant to all PRS landlords: the RRA's one-increase-per-year rule changes rent-setting strategy, making accurate upfront pricing at tenancy commencement critical to protecting yields. The data also dispels the assumption that pre-legislation rent spikes would provide a buffer, meaning many landlords may now face constrained flexibility sooner than expected.
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