Keep attacking landlords and ‘you’ll lose them’

Landlords are being driven out of the sector by a wave of negative headlines and shifting regulation, a property expert has warned.

Saif Derzi, a landlord and co-founder of Landlord Resource, (main picture), says the constant demonisation of landlords risks an exodus from the private rent sector.

Derzi says: “Keep attacking landlords, and you’ll lose them. Of course, landlords acting inappropriately and exploiting tenants should be penalised, but good landlords who are responsible and fair shouldn’t be painted with the same brush.”

Keep attacking landlords, and you’ll lose them. Landlords exploiting tenants should be penalised, but good landlords shouldn’t be painted with the same brush.”

It follows the Office for National Statistics figures releasing this month showing rents rose 3.7% in the year to July 2026, reaching an average of £1,393 a month.

Derzi argues that landlords see little of those rent increases, saying: “Even though private rental rates have gone up, landlords won’t reap many benefits from this.

“The additional amount might not even touch the surface when trying to match factors such as increased mortgage costs, insurance, repairs, maintenance, and compliance costs, which are all more damaging than ever.”

Mortgage costs

He points to a steep rise in the monthly costs of a buy-to-let mortgage, as well as increasing repair and maintenance expenditure for landlords.

Future costs are adding to the pressure. The new PRS Database is due to begin rollout later this year, with landlords required to pay an annual registration fee that has yet to be confirmed. Mandatory membership of the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman is expected to follow some time afterwards.

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, the abolition of Section 21 means longer dispute cases can be expected, while meeting future homes standards is likely to bring significant repair bills, Derzi continues.

He says the cumulative effect of all of this is a sector where landlords increasingly feel like the villains.

He says: “New Renters’ Rights Act policies are helping shift power away from landlords to tenants, and consequently, landlords are often left to look like the problem.

“While criticism and feedback are part and parcel of the job, these growing negative connotations could lead to more selling up, higher rents, or fewer people entering the sector.”