As the business of being a landlord becomes increasingly regulated and professionalised, letting agents too have upped their game. These days most of them are highly professional companies with experienced staff, codes of conduct and membership of industry bodies.

After making some gains at the end of 2020, average rents in London have fallen for the past two months, while rents continue to rise in much of the rest of the UK.

A little over a year on from the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic has seen multiple last-minute extensions on eviction bans for UK tenants. While this has helped stop people becoming homeless, it has also caused anxiety, stress and loss of income in the industry. 

As the UK government attempts to look ahead to life without restrictions, it is once again moving forward with discussion on reforms to the country's Private Rental Sector (PRS).

While the property sales boom has been one of the surprise success stories of the past year and a half, the overall strength of the rental market has been less clear. Reports and news stories have tended to focus on particular issues like arrears or evictions, rather than getting a sense of whether the private rented sector is in a better or worse position than it was in 2019. However, a few recent studies have tried to shed a bit of light on this. 

As if the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic isn't enough for the UK's army of renters to cope with, with the UK set to sever ties with the EU from January 1 2021, the country could face a glut of returning expats seeking a rental home while they decide on their next move. 

A recent survey snapshot suggests the number of rental homes across the UK rose to a record high in 2020 with letting agents managing over 200 properties on average. The survey also shows that even as many landlords and property investors chose to sell up, only around one third of tenants experienced rent rises.

With the UK's Covid-19 vaccination programme progressing well, optimism appears to be returning to various areas of activity in the UK.