A survey has revealed that with over 145 individual laws and more than 400 regulations to follow, it’s dangerous for landlords to think that can ‘do’ lettings without expert advice.

Research from property website TheHouseShop shows that almost one in five landlords admit it is “impossible” to keep up with constant regulation changes – with a further 30 per cent saying they find it “very difficult” and another 31 per cent finding it “quite difficult”.

The survey, conducted online amongst 1,237 landlords, found that compliance with legislation was listed as the most challenging aspect of managing a rental property by almost two thirds of landlords.

Nick Marr, co-founder of TheHouseShop, says: “It’s a really difficult environment that landlords are operating in at the moment. The government have undertaken a range of measures to try and drive up standards in the rental industry, and while this is by no means a bad thing, it does mean that landlords have increasingly complex and wide-ranging responsibilities to deal with.”