In this blog:
If you own a rental property in London, the question is probably one you have already asked yourself. The past two years have not made it easy to feel confident about the answer.
The reasons behind those decisions are real and understandable. But there is more to the story than the headlines tell. The landlords who have stayed in the market, and in many cases those who are now expanding, are doing so for clear, well-founded reasons. This blog sets out what those reasons are, and gives London landlords an honest framework for making the decision themselves.
What has changed for London landlords
The Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026, ending no-fault evictions, converting all tenancies to periodic agreements, limiting rent increases to once a year through a formal process, and extending Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector. A second phase is expected in late 2026, introducing a landlord database and a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.
These are significant obligations. They have not made London property unviable. What they have done is made the gap between a well-managed property and a poorly managed one wider, and more costly when things go wrong.
Why some London landlords are doing well right now
The landlords who are performing well in London in summer 2026 are not doing so by accident. They share specific characteristics.
Their properties are in areas where people genuinely want to live and rent, and that has not changed. Chelsea, Fulham, Battersea and Wandsworth continue to attract professionals, international tenants, and families who are willing to pay for quality in an area they have chosen deliberately. That demand has not gone away. If anything, as some landlords have left the market, there are simply fewer good quality homes available for tenants who are actively looking. For the landlords who remain, that means less competition, stronger interest, and more consistent returns.
Their compliance is current and documented. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, the ability to demonstrate that a property has been managed correctly is no longer a nice thing to have. It is the foundation of a landlord’s position if a dispute arises, a possession claim is made, or a compliance review takes place. Landlords who have this in order are not worried about the new legislation. They were already doing things the right way before the rules changed.
And their tenants are well selected and well looked after. A quality tenant in a prime London property, managed by an agent who deals with issues promptly and communicates clearly, tends to stay. Long tenancies mean lower void periods, lower costs, and more predictable income. That matters more in a market where the rules around ending a tenancy have changed significantly.
What the Renters’ Rights Act means in practice
No-fault evictions are gone. To end a tenancy, a landlord must now have a legal ground, and the most commonly used grounds require four months’ notice. All tenancies are now periodic, meaning there are no fixed end dates. Rent can only be increased once a year, through a formal Section 13 notice. Awaab’s Law means that serious issues, damp and mould in particular, must be addressed within defined timeframes.
For a landlord whose property is being managed properly, most of this is already in hand. The inspections are happening, the records exist, and the agent is dealing with maintenance before it becomes a problem. For a landlord on a rent collection service that was never designed to manage compliance, the position is different. A maintenance issue logged verbally but never in writing, an inspection not carried out on schedule, a compliance certificate that lapsed without anyone noticing. These are the things that create exposure under the new framework.
Is it still worth it? The honest answer
The honest answer is that it depends on three things: the location of the property, the quality of the management, and whether the numbers still work after tax and mortgage costs are properly accounted for.
On location, prime London still makes a strong case. Areas like Chelsea, Fulham, Battersea and Wandsworth attract professionals, families and international tenants who are willing to pay well for a home they genuinely want to live in. That demand has not gone away. If anything, as some landlords have left the market, the supply of well-presented, well-managed homes in these areas has tightened, which works in favour of those who remain. The landlords doing well here are not necessarily those with the most valuable properties. They are the ones whose properties are in good order, priced correctly, and managed properly.
On management, the question every London landlord should be able to answer honestly is this: is my property being managed to the standard the current market and the current legislation requires? Not in theory. In practice, with the records to prove it.
What good management looks like now
Full management and rent collection are not the same thing, and the difference matters more in 2026 than it ever has.
A rent collection service finds a tenant and processes the monthly payment. What it typically does not include is scheduled property inspections, compliance tracking and renewal, maintenance coordination, documentation of the tenancy, or proactive communication with the tenant on the landlord’s behalf. A landlord on a rent collection service is, in practice, managing the property themselves, whether they realise it or not.
Full management means the agent is responsible for the property on an ongoing basis. Inspections scheduled and completed. Compliance certificates tracked and renewed before they lapse. Maintenance handled and logged. Tenants communicated with directly and clearly. The landlord receives regular, honest updates and does not have to manage the day-to-day themselves.
At Chesterfield Gordon, every managed property in our London portfolio is overseen by the founders personally, not delegated to a team member who has not met the landlord or seen the property. That changes the quality of what gets noticed, what gets resolved, and what gets documented. For a London landlord who wants to understand whether their current arrangement is working to the right standard, a management review is the right first step.
There is no obligation attached. Just a practical conversation about your property, your current arrangement, and what good management looks like in practice. Get in touch and we will arrange a time that suits you.