June Newsletter – Quarterly Rental Market Review

This edition covers the key trends shaping Bristol’s rental market as we move through 2026. From how tenant demand and available stock have evolved, to where rents are settling after last summer’s peak. We also explore the journey to EPC C compliance, with expert insight from Retrofit West, showing why many landlords may find meeting the 2030 deadline simpler than they expect.

Samantha Derrett Managing Director of The Letting Game

Quarterly Market Review

Over the past six months, Bristol’s rental market has shifted into a more balanced position. Following a particularly busy summer in 2025, tenant demand eased towards the end of the year as more properties became available. However, activity has steadily recovered during spring 2026, with average daily views per property rising from 39.8 in December to 56.5 by April. While renters now have more choice, demand remains resilient, particularly for well-presented homes in desirable locations.

Property availability reached its highest level in late 2025, with more than 6,000 homes on the market, before easing slightly into the new year. Compared with this time last year, landlords are operating in a more competitive environment, making accurate pricing and strong marketing more important than ever.

Rental prices in the South West have also begun to stabilise. After reaching a peak of £1,852 in July 2025, average monthly rents settled at around £1,220 through winter and spring. This suggests the exceptional rental growth seen during the supply shortage has moderated as stock levels have improved. However, affordability continues to influence tenant decisions.

What’s Next for Bristol Landlords

Over the next six months, we expect Bristol’s rental market to remain healthy, but increasingly competitive. Demand is likely to stay strong thanks to the city’s growing population, universities and employment opportunities. Although tenants will continue to have more choice than they did in recent years.

For landlords, this means the focus is shifting away from simply listing a property and waiting for enquiries. Success will depend on presenting properties to a high standard, setting realistic rents and attracting the right tenants from the outset. Homes that are well maintained, professionally marketed and competitively priced are expected to let quickly, while overpriced or poorly presented properties may take longer to secure tenants.

At The Letting Game, we help landlords adapt to changing market conditions. We combine expert pricing advice, professional marketing and targeted tenant matching to minimise void periods and maximise long-term returns.

Want free help bringing your rental up to EPC C?

Here’s something most landlords don’t realise. For a lot of Bristol’s older rental properties, the gap between EPC D and EPC C doesn’t require a disruptive renovation.

The improvements that make the biggest difference are often simple ones:

 

 

  • Changing to LED lighting

  • Draught-proofing gaps around windows and doors

  • Adding heating controls

  • Loft insulation

  • Wall insulation

  • A boiler upgrade

 

EPC Assessor

All of these can be done with tenants in place. From 2030, rental properties need to reach EPC C to remain compliant, but for many landlords the path to getting there is a lot less disruptive than they’re expecting.

What you actually need is a personalised roadmap to EPC C for your specific property.

Retrofit West is a not-for-profit advice service for landlords in the West of England. Starting from £80, their Landlord Energy Efficiency Plan’s will tell you exactly what your property needs to reach EPC C, in what order, what it’ll cost, and how to navigate compliance, cost caps and exemptions. The plan includes a new EPC and a free one again once the work is done, so your compliance is documented.

Free advice is available first if you want to talk it through.

Get support on EPC compliance, cost caps and exemptions >

Landlord Update: May 2026

It’s been a busy month behind the scenes, and in this landlord update we’re covering several important changes affecting landlords right now. Between new legal obligations landing and an important tribunal ruling making headlines, there’s a fair bit to be aware of. Here’s what’s happened, what we’ve already handled for you, and what you should know.

Government Information Sheet Update for Managed Landlords

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced a requirement for landlords to share an official Government Information Sheet with all existing tenants before 31st May 2026. It covers things like how the new periodic tenancy system works, how rent increases are handled, the pet request process, and how possession now works without Section 21.

Do we manage your property?

If we manage your property, you don’t need to do a thing – we’ve already taken care of it. We distributed the Government Information Sheet to all tenants by email on 7th May 2026, and posted a hard copy, well ahead of the 31st May deadline.

Or do you self-manage?

If you self-manage any properties outside of our service (our let-only landlords), you’ll need to arrange this yourself before the 31st May 2026 deadline. The information sheet needs to go to every existing tenant via email, post, or in person — and it’s a good idea to keep a note of when and how it was sent, just in case it’s ever queried. You can find the official Government Information Sheet here. Please note, if you are sending the Government Information Sheet to your tenants via email, the sheet must be sent as an attachment. Simply sharing a link to it is not sufficient to meet the requirement.

If you have any questions about the process or what it means for your tenancy, we’re always happy to have a conversation.

Government Information Sheet to tenants Renters Rights Act

What the Renters’ Rights Act Means for Deposit Disputes

A lot of the conversation around the Act has focused on tenancy reform and the end of Section 21. But its impact on deposit disputes is just as significant, and it’s worth making sure you’re on the right side of it.

Here’s the key shift: with all tenancies now rolling rather than fixed term, a tenancy that might once have run for a year could now go on for several years. That means the condition evidence you gather at the start of a tenancy needs to hold up for much longer.

In Practical Terms

  • A detailed move-in inventory with photographs is more important than ever
  • Mid-tenancy inspection records help build a clear picture of the property’s condition over time
  • Good records of repair requests and how they were handled can make or break a deduction at dispute stage
  • Fair wear and tear still can’t be deducted — that hasn’t changed, but it’s being looked at more closely
  • And worth knowing: a possession order can’t be granted if the deposit isn’t protected in a government-approved scheme

Deposit Considerations

If a tenant reports a hazard like damp or disrepair and it isn’t dealt with, that can affect your ability to make deductions at the end of the tenancy. Staying on top of maintenance isn’t just good practice – it’s increasingly tied to your legal and financial position.

For managed properties, we hold your inspection records and inventory documentation as standard, so if a deposit dispute ever lands on your doorstep, you’re not scrambling to pull evidence together at short notice. Your move-in inventory, inspection photographs, and maintenance correspondence are all logged and kept on file throughout the tenancy. It’s one of those things that rarely feels urgent until it suddenly is, and we’d rather you’re well covered long before it gets to that point.

A Tribunal Ruling Every HMO Landlord Should Know About

A recent Upper Tribunal decision has been doing the rounds in the industry, and it’s worth paying attention to. Especially if you own an HMO or have appointed a management company.

  • Here’s what happened. A landlord handed management of her property to a management company under an agreement that paid her a fixed monthly sum of £3,400. The agreement explicitly said the property wasn’t to be used as an HMO. The management company ignored that and let it as one anyway, collecting between £7,000 and £10,000 per month from tenants. When the HMO licence expired and wasn’t renewed, the council issued financial penalties of more than £20,000.
  • The landlord was ultimately cleared because the Tribunal ruled that the management company, not the owner, was in control of the property. The outcome was positive, but it was far closer to a disaster than it should have been.
Legal HMO

A Few Things Every HMO Landlord Should Take from This:

  • A management agreement without clear terms about permitted use offers you very little protection
  • HMO licences can expire without you knowing if your oversight arrangements aren’t tight enough
  • Civil penalties for unlicensed HMOs can reach £30,000 per offence — and there’s no cap in criminal proceedings
  • Tenants or local authorities can also seek Rent Repayment Orders covering up to 12 months’ rent

Do you own an HMO? How confident are you in your current arrangements? We proactively monitor licences for all HMOs we manage. It’s just one of the ways we protect our landlords. If you’d like to talk through what this looks like in practice, we’re always happy to have a conversation.

This article is for general information only and reflects our understanding of relevant legislation at the time of writing. It does not constitute legal or professional advice. As landlord obligations vary by circumstance, we recommend seeking independent advice where appropriate.