A new analysis shows where the Renters Rights Act will wreak most havoc for agents.
The analysis looked at city centre areas where 50% or more of homes are in the Private Rental Sector (PRS).
In one, the PRS accounts for 77% of all homes.
The data shows Sheffield city centre (S1) has the highest concentration of PRS homes in England, accounting for an estimated 77% of all dwellings. Social housing makes up a further 11%.
London’s EC3 follows at 73%, with Leeds city centre postcodes LS1 and LS2 at 71% and 68% respectively.
This is followed by Manchester’s M1 (68%) and M2 (68%), B2 in Birmingham (65%), L2 in Liverpool (65%), EC4 in London (64%), and NG1 in Nottingham (64%).
In total, 39 postcode districts across England have PRS concentrations of 50% or more.
In these markets, the scale of rental stock means compliance changes won’t phase in gradually but hit at volume from day one.
Sián Hemming-Metcalfe of Inventory Base, the firm commissioning the research, says: “When over half the housing stock sits in the PRS, every regulatory change scales instantly.
“More properties to inspect, more compliance points to evidence, and more opportunities for disputes if standards aren’t met.
“The removal of Section 21 shifts the balance of risk, but the real pressure sits in execution.
“Meeting tighter safety expectations, maintaining consistent property standards, and evidencing that work properly (at volume) is where most operators will feel the strain.
“… In practice, this means agents operating in high-PRS areas won’t have the luxury of gradual adjustment.”
