You've dealt with notices, licences and the odd boiler. Next up: a tenant who wants to plug in a car.
The lead: a tenant EV charger duty is on the table
The government is consulting on an "ability to charge" for tenants and leaseholders in England who want an EV charge point, to streamline the permissions landlords and freeholders give. It opened on 21 October and closes at 11:59pm on 16 December 2026.
The choice, as reported by Property118, is between a legal duty and voluntary guidance. A duty would mean deciding requests in good time and not refusing unreasonably, perhaps with a written reply within 28 days. Guidance would only encourage you to explain a refusal. The plans focus on homes with off-street parking, and the tenant would be expected to arrange and pay for the charger. Any duty needs new legislation, so nothing changes yet.
You wouldn't be asked to pay. You'd be asked to decide, and a flat no might need a reason. The grounds floated include a conflict with a lease, a local electrical network that can't cope, or too little parking. If you own a flat, your freeholder may have the final say.
If a tenant asks before any of this is law, ask for it in writing and check your lease and mortgage terms first. And if you have a view on who should pay for maintenance and removal, you have until 16 December to say so.
39% of landlords have tightened tenant checks
Property platform August's Landlord Survey 2026, as reported by The Intermediary, says 39% of landlords have tightened referencing or affordability checks since the Renters' Rights Act, and 32% have asked for a guarantor since 1 May. 29% plan to shrink or sell within two years, against 31% in the government's 2024 survey, while 34% plan to expand.
The rest of the list reads like an inbox: 28% have had a pet request, 26% a challenge or refusal over a rent increase, and 23% a notice from a tenant under the new rules. Among landlords with one property, 56% changed nothing, against 10% overall. If that's you, you're in good company.
Pet requests and rent challenges are now routine. Decide your answers before the email arrives, and if an agent lets for you, ask what checks they run and what happens if an applicant falls through.
Frozen LHA: a £170 monthly gap, and a Budget tomorrow
The Resolution Foundation says the gap between Local Housing Allowance (LHA, the housing support for tenants on low incomes) and the rent of the cheapest third of homes is a record 23.3%, as reported by Letting Agent Today. That's about £170 a month for a typical two-bed family. LHA was last reset in April 2024 against 2023 rents, and by May 2026 over 900,000 Universal Credit families were paying rent above their LHA. The think tank wants it re-linked to local rents at tomorrow's Budget.
In a Commons debate, minister Stephen Timms said LHA "was never intended to cover all rents in all areas" and that decisions will reflect the Budget, according to Property118. If you let to a tenant on housing support, check how much of the rent their allowance covers before you agree a rise. A bigger gap means a bigger arrears risk, and we'll see tomorrow whether it shrinks.
Quick hits
- Rent a Room: Spareroom is asking the Chancellor to lift the £7,500 a year tax-free limit, unchanged for a decade, per Landlord Today. If you have a lodger in your own home, watch tomorrow's Budget.
- Six months in: Leaders' Allison Thompson says rent overlap between tenancies has grown from a week or two to five or six weeks in some cases, because tenants can give two months' notice, as reported by Property118. She adds that pets need your written permission, and you can refuse with a valid objection.
- Selling: in Zoopla's figures, reported by Property118, 41% of homes listed at least 5% below Zoopla's estimate sold within 90 days, against 26% of those listed 20% or more above. If you're thinking of selling, the starting price does most of the work.
Number of the day: 35%
That's the share of UK homes in postcode areas where prices are lower than a year ago, up from 12% last year, according to the Zoopla House Price Index. It's 85% in London and the South East, while the North West is up 3.2%. If you're weighing a sale, your postcode matters more than the national headline.