Tips for landlords • Archives • The Independent Landlord

The rental discrimination rules in the Renters’ Rights Act

7 September 2026

Children jumping on a bed in a rental property

The Renters’ Rights Act has banned “rental discrimination”. This is a new legal concept which prevents landlords and letting agents from discriminating against prospective tenants or tenants because they have children or because they receive benefits. Although there is high awareness of the new rules banning rental discrimination, the rules are not well understood. Landlords […]

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Review of the Hello Neighbour online lettings platform

31 August 2026

Hello Neighbour "Let Agreed" board outside of a terraced house

I stopped using high street letting agents to find tenants in 2021, after having received bad service from the local branch of a national firm. One of my tenants suggested I use OpenRent another time, which I did in 2022, 2023 and 2024. However, when I looked for tenants in June 2026, I decided to

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Section 13 rent increase challenges: First-tier Tribunal process and cases

31 August 2026

Following the implementation of the tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May 2026, the only way that landlords can increase rent for an assured periodic tenancy in England is by following the Section 13 process, and serving Form 4A on the tenants. If the tenant does not agree to the rent increase,

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Letting agent terms of business: termination clauses compared

25 August 2026

happy and sad smiley faces to review letting agent contracts

Are you a landlord who’s looking to sign up with a letting agent for full management? Or perhaps you’d like to take over the management yourself, or move to another agent, but you’re struggling to understand the terms of business and how much, if anything, it’s going to cost you to leave. Very few letting

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How much can landlords increase rent by in 2026?

24 August 2026

How much can landlords increase rent in 2026? There’s no legal cap in England, but the Renters’ Rights Act has changed how rent increases work. The only way to increase rent is now by serving a Form 4A under Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Tenants can challenge an increase at the First-tier Tribunal,

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How to sell a rental property in 2026

13 August 2026

For sale and to let boards outside Victorian terrace in Battersea

Savills released data on 1 May 2026, the day the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, estimating that 254,000 previously rented homes were listed for sale in the 12 months to the end of March. That works out at around 700 a day, 9% more than the year before and 28% more than two years

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How to carry out viewings safely at your rental property

4 August 2026

landlord in pink cardigan opening door for a viewing

It’s important for landlords to think of personal safety when carrying out viewings to prospective tenants at their rental properties. Personal safety has been an important issue for estate agents and letting agents ever since the disappearance of 25-year-old estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in 1986. She went missing in broad daylight in the middle of

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What should landlords provide in unfurnished rental properties?

3 August 2026

unfurnished rented property with curtain rail and new carpet

When you’re setting out as a landlord, or even when you’ve been a landlord for a while, it can be difficult to know what you should put in unfurnished rental properties. Some of it is a grey area, depending on personal preference and target market. Others are legal obligations. Undoubtedly, the more a landlord provides,

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The end of tenancy check-out: inspection, inventory and checklist

28 July 2026

inventory being carried out in a kitchen of a Victorian house

The end of a tenancy is often fraught for landlords and tenants alike, even when it’s the tenants who’ve served a notice to quit. The tenants want their deposit back promptly and a good reference. The landlord is wondering what state the property will be in, and how long it will sit empty before new

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What to do when tenants leave belongings behind

28 July 2026

box of unwanted items left behind by a tenant when they moved out

Sometimes when tenants move out, they don’t take everything with them, which puts the landlord in a bit of a tricky situation. It might seem simple to take the items to the tip, or even to sell them. However, even though the belongings have been left behind, they still belong to the tenant, and the

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