top of page
Footsteps.png

Are You Under-Renting? The 2025 Rent-Review Playbook for Landlords in the UK

  • Writer: Jessica Paige Bailey-Womack
    Jessica Paige Bailey-Womack
  • Aug 27
  • 2 min read

Rents keep hitting headlines, £1,365 outside London, £2,712 in London. But growth is slowing, homes take longer to let, and more listings are cutting prices mid-marketing. If your rent reviews were capped or neglected (hi, legacy 5%ers), you’re probably leaving serious money on the table.


arial view of houses in the UK

Why some UK landlords are stuck behind the curve

  • New-let rent growth has cooled to 2.8% YoY and is trending 3–4% for 2025. If you missed the big jumps of 2021–23 and only nudged 5% a year, you may be 2–3 years behind market level.

  • Meanwhile, whole-stock rents are still rising 6.7% YoY, so the longer you delay, the bigger the catch-up gap.


What’s different in 2025 (and why it matters for your review)

  • Tenant choice is back: average time to let is up to 25 days, and 24% of listings are reducing price. You can’t just slap on a number; it needs to be evidence-based and defensible.

  • Supply up / demand down from last year (though demand is still above 2019). Pricing strategy beats wishful thinking.

  • Reforms are close: once the Renters’ Rights Bill goes live, rent increases move to one-per-year via Section 13 with two months’ notice, and bidding wars are banned. If you’re under-rented, a clean, lawful catch-up before the new regime bites can simplify life later.


How to run a lawful, defensible catch-up (England)

  1. Check the tenancy type & timing. If you’re in fixed term, you’ll likely wait until renewal unless the contract allows a review. Periodic? You can use Section 13 (Form 4)—but only once every 12 months.

  2. Price to market, not fantasy. Use current comps (like-for-like, same micro-area, same spec). Overreach and you invite voids, or a tribunal challenge later. (That’s easier for tenants under the new regime.)

  3. Get the conversation right. Explain the why (costs, market comps, service level) and the value tenants get from staying, responsive management, clear communication, maintenance standards. Many good tenants will pay a fair market rent to avoid the chaos of moving.

  4. Serve correctly. Use Form 4 and proper notice periods. Mess the paperwork up and you’ll reset the clock.

  5. Don’t forget compliance optics. With a Decent Homes Standard coming to PRS and energy costs still a tenant pain point, signalling an EPC plan helps justify value and reduce churn. (Rightmove notes 42% of listed rentals aren’t yet EPC C; upgrades are becoming commercially sensible.)


    Arial view of rooftops in village

What Footsteps does differently

  • Proactive annual reviews tied to real comps (not agent folklore).

  • Legally clean process (Section 13 timing, notice, wording).

  • Tenant handling with care to minimise disputes and voids.

  • Forward-plan for reforms (one-per-year increases; no bidding; ombudsman + database). You won’t get caught out in 2026.


Bottom line

If you’re still on “+5% and hope”, you’re subsidising your own rental. The window to reset to market—cleanly and credibly—is open now. Footsteps will run the numbers, handle the paperwork, and keep your tenants onside.


Contact us to talk further about your rent increases.



Sources: Rental market figures referenced from Rightmove Q2 2025 Rental Trends Report, Zoopla UK Rental Market Report (July 2025), ONS Private Rental Index (June 2025), and recent updates on the Renters’ Rights Bill from The Independent Landlord & gov.uk.

bottom of page