The proportion of private landlords who kept their rent unchanged in England increased to 50% over the last 12 months, compared with 39% in the previous year’s survey.
For landlords that did not increase rents, the most common reason was to retain existing tenants, cited by 47% of landlords.
Concerns about the ongoing cost-of-living pressures were cited by 44% of respondents.
TDS found that landlords were less likely to have increased rents if they had no property debt, owned only one rental property, or had never used a letting agent.
However, 48% of landlords did increase their rents. With rental stock depleting, remaining landlords have found yields increasing, as tenants are faced with less choice for rental property.
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In this instance, TDS reported that these landlords were more likely to have larger property portfolios, incomes of £100,000 or more, own at least one house in multiple occupation (HMO), or use a letting agent.
Tenants in arrears eases
The number of landlords who reported having at least one tenant in rent arrears decreased from 29% to 26% year-on-year.
Some 21% of landlords said they had agreed a repayment plan with landlords. However, 17% said they offered a rent-free or reduced-rent period for their tenants. Most landlords (42%) said they directly engaged with tenants to evaluate their options.
Dr Jennifer Harris, head of policy, research and social impact at The Dispute Service Group, said: “It is encouraging to see more landlords choosing to keep rents unchanged, particularly at a time when many tenants continue to face significant financial pressures.
“However, our research shows that decisions about rents are rarely straightforward. While retaining good tenants and recognising the financial challenges they face are important considerations for many landlords, they are facing pressures of their own, with rising running and maintenance costs continuing to influence decisions about rents.”
