Being a good landlord helps you build long tenancies, achieve steady income and low void periods. Get it wrong and you spend your evenings chasing paperwork.
With the Renters' Rights Act coming into force on 1st May 2026, Assured Shorthold Tenancies have been replaced with periodic tenancies, Section 21 has gone, and Making Tax Digital has arrived for larger portfolios. Here is what a good landlord looks like now, and how to make life easier for yourself along the way.
Set the tone with your tenancy agreement
Your tenancy agreement is the first thing a tenant reads, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. A clear, fair, up-to-date agreement makes for a calmer tenancy on both sides.
Every existing Assured Shorthold Tenancy converted automatically to an Assured Periodic Tenancy on 1st May 2026. New tenancies are now periodic on day one, and tenants can leave with two months' notice at any point after the first month. It sounds like a big shift, and it means your paperwork needs a refresh, but in practice most tenants stay far longer than the minimum requirement, especially when they feel well looked after.
A few things worth considering :
- Terms that reflect the new regime, not language carried over from older AST templates.
- A rent review approach that uses the Section 13 process, giving two months' notice once a year with a right of appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal.
- Sensible pet arrangements, since pets can no longer be refused without a reasonable reason, though you are entitled to require pet damage insurance.
- If you use a letting agent, they can walk you through this as a matter of course.
Respect the space, and the relationship follows
The best tenancies work because the tenant genuinely feels at home. That means giving the 24 hours' notice you are required to give before visits, keeping communication warm and predictable, and treating the property as their home for as long as they live in it.
It is worth remembering that tenants now have a statutory right of complaint under the Renters' Rights Act, and the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will formalise how those complaints are handled. That is a good reason to keep a friendly paper trail. Log access requests, repair reports, and your responses somewhere you can find them. Not because you expect a dispute, but because good record-keeping usually means there never is one.
Keep good tenants, and the numbers look after themselves
Long tenancies are the quiet win of letting. No void periods, no re-marketing costs, no cleaning turnarounds, and a tenant who knows how the boiler works. Under the new regime, holding on to good tenants is more valuable than ever.
The habits that keep tenants in place are the same ones that make you a good landlord in the first place:
- Respond to reports quickly, and treat them as useful information about your investment.
- Get repairs done properly the first time.
- Price renewals with the sitting tenant in mind rather than the open market at its peak.
- Say thank you when they flag something early or renew for another year.
A modest hold on a rent review will very often earn more over 12 months than a rise that triggers a move-out.
Run it like the business it is
Letting a property is a business, and HMRC now formally treats it that way. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax went live on 6th April 2026 for landlords with qualifying property and self-employment income above £50,000. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Around 780,000 landlords and sole traders came into the first phase, with another 970,000 due in April 2027.
If you are in scope, it means keeping digital records in real time, submitting quarterly updates using approved software, and a final declaration each year in place of the old annual Self Assessment return.
The good news: modern software makes this simpler than it sounds, most landlords find quarterly reporting gives them a clearer picture of how the property is actually performing, and if you use an agent, they will already be organised for it. If you are close to the threshold, a quick chat with your accountant now is worth considering.
Look after the property, and it looks after you
A well-maintained property attracts better tenants, holds its value, and keeps you well clear of the enforcement conversations happening elsewhere in the sector. The Decent Homes Standard has been confirmed for the private rented sector from 2035, and Awaab's Law is being extended to private lets ahead of that. Councils have new powers to inspect properties on 24 hours' notice, in force since 27 December 2025.
The practical takeaway is a positive one. Get on top of damp and mould early, keep your maintenance calendar current, and treat annual inspections as an investment rather than a chore. A property that stays in good shape attracts tenants who look after it, which is the loop every landlord wants to be in.
If a tenant reports damp or mould, get someone out to look at it, respond in writing, and keep a note of what’s been done. It is straightforward, and it protects you.
The compliance side, kept simple
None of this needs to feel heavy. Work through the list once, get everything up to date, and diarise the renewals:
- The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet was issued to every tenant on or before 31st May 2026.
- Gas Safety Certificate renewed every year.
- Electrical Installation Condition Report renewed at least every five years, and for every new tenancy.
- Energy Performance Certificate in place at minimum E, with a consultation live on raising the minimum to C for new tenancies in 2028 and all tenancies in 2030.
- Smoke alarms on every storey, carbon monoxide alarms in every room with a fixed combustion appliance
- Deposit protected in an approved scheme within 30 days, prescribed information served.
- Right to Rent checks documented for every adult occupier.
- HMO licensing where it applies.
Once that is in place, it stays in place.
Paul Offley, Compliance Officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, said: "The best landlords I speak with treat compliance as part of the pleasure of doing the job properly, rather than a burden. Get your paperwork in order, work with an agent who knows the sector, and letting becomes what it should be a good, well-run business with people you enjoy having as tenants."
The lifestyle side of getting it right
There is real satisfaction in running a rental well. Long-term tenants who treat the place as home. A property that grows in value and looks after your future. A relationship with your agent that means the phone rarely rings with bad news.
For most landlords, the easiest way in is a good letting agent who is already on top of the changes. Members of The Guild are independent estate and letting agents backed by a nationwide network, with compliance guidance from Paul Offley, up-to-date documentation, and the local knowledge to keep your property let, your tenants happy, and your evenings your own.
The Guild is a UK-wide network of hand-selected independent estate agents across the UK. Whether you are buying, selling, letting or renting, explore where our Members are.
