Letting agents should communicate regularly and proactively with their landlords and tenants to help them understand the proposed reform of the sector and to navigate their way through the cost-of-living crisis.

That’s the message from Oli Sherlock, director of insurance at lettings platform Goodlord, who on a Propertymark webinar said it was in agents’ interests to highlight the independent help and advice available to tenants should they find themselves in difficult scenarios, such as rent arrears, so they don’t develop into possession claims.

He also encouraged them to share relevant industry news and updates, saying they should not assume landlords and tenants were aware of wider issues such as the recently published renters’ reform White Paper.

Sherlock said: “Regular and proactive communication with their landlords and tenants is often one of the things that drops off the list when agents become extremely busy. But given the challenges in front of us maybe it has become even more important than ever before.”

Other ways agents can mitigate the impact of the rising cost of living, according to Sherlock, includes helping prospective tenants fully understand the monthly cost of a property they are applying for such as utility and council tax bills, as well as the rent. 

Agents should also encourage landlords to balance any desire to increase rent with the effect that could have on tenant continuity.