Nothing says light-touch regulation like a database with an annual fee. Today's brief has one of those, plus a lettings roll-up that keeps shopping, and rents that can't decide which way to go.
The lead: the landlord register has a start date
The government's Register your rental property service starts rolling out on 15 December 2026, beginning in the West Midlands. If you let an assured or regulated tenancy, you must register yourself. The fee is £65 per property, renewed every year (pro-rated during the rollout).
Each region gets a three-month window once it goes live. West Midlands landlords have until 14 March 2027. Other regions follow month by month, with the last deadline, the South West, on 14 November 2027. After a region's window closes, councils can start enforcing.
A register is a fair idea. Good landlords have nothing to hide, and rogue ones are the point. But the cost lands on the people who turn up. The NRLA's Ben Beadle called it "a costly mess" that will cost the sector at least £327m a year, as reported by Letting Agent Today.
If you use an agent, ask who is registering your property and whether it costs extra. Check your agreement before you assume either way.
Dwelly buys another 475 managed lets
Dwelly has added about 475 fully managed properties: roughly 200 from Symonds & Greenham in Hull (an asset-only deal) and roughly 275 with Worcestershire agency Michaelle & Co. That takes it to about 16,140 homes and 13 acquisitions this year, according to Letting Agent Today.
A new owner isn't automatically bad news. But when your agent changes hands, terms and fees sometimes follow. Find out what your agreement says about a sale and about your notice period.
Landlords are remortgaging, not buying
UK Finance's Q2 2026 buy-to-let update counted 58,051 new loans worth £10.7bn, up 20.6% on a year earlier. Look inside the total, though: 39,631 were remortgages and 16,026 were purchases, and purchases fell by 845 on Q1.
The average new rate was 4.82%, up 12 basis points on Q1 but 18 below a year ago. Mortgages in arrears above 2.5% fell to 8,390. Most landlords are staying put and watching their costs. That makes the fee on the monthly statement look bigger.
Rents: two stories, one week
Propertymark's tracker, as reported by Property118, shows rents fell month on month in 9 of 11 regions in September. Scotland fell 3.4%, the North West 2.5%, London and the South West 2.1%.
Meanwhile Hamptons data, reported by Letting Agent Today, has new-let rent growth at 2.7% a year, the fastest since November 2024. Both can be true: one is a month, the other a year. If your agent charges a percentage of rent, your fee moves with whichever number you land on.
Quick hits
- Capital gains tax: The Negotiator reports that the Chancellor won't raise CGT at the Budget on 28 October. The report cites unnamed sources, so treat it as unconfirmed. The same piece notes a 2-point rise in rental income tax from April 2027.
- Making Tax Digital: Property118 reports a Treasury written answer saying the threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. The government puts the average one-off cost at £285 to £350, plus £110 to £115 more each year.
- Agent accreditation: Letting Agent Today reports on an agency whose safeagent accreditation and Client Money Protection cover ended in December. Its logo was still on its website in May, and it now appears to have closed. Check an agent's protection with the scheme itself, not the logo.
- Exit plans: in Property118's Q3 survey, 53.4% of single-property landlords (178 people) said exiting was their most likely course. The sample is self-selecting Property118 readers, so it isn't a picture of all landlords.
Number of the day: 23%
That's the share of landlords who knew they must register on the new database, in a survey by property management platform August, reported by The Negotiator. The article doesn't give the sample size or survey date. Treat it as a signal, but 15 December is a date, and awareness isn't.