The English Private Landlord Survey 2024: main report - GOV.UK, which has been commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has been published today (5th December ‘24)

The English Private Landlord Survey (EPLS) is a national survey of landlords and letting agents acting on behalf of landlords who own and/or manage privately rented properties in England, and is uniquely valuable in providing a large scale, representative picture of private landlords.

The aim of the EPLS is to inform government understanding of the characteristics and experiences of landlords and how they acquire, let, manage, and maintain privately rented accommodation. 

Some key findings:

Just under half of all landlords owned one rental property, though nearly half of tenancies were owned by landlords with five or more properties.

·        45% of landlords owned one rental property, representing 21% of tenancies.

·        A further 38% owned between two and four rental properties, representing 30% of tenancies.

·        17% of landlords owned five or more properties each, representing 49% of tenancies.

·        The proportion of female landlords (50%) has increased since 2021 (44%). However, landlords with five or more properties were more likely to be male (63%).

Around a quarter of landlords reported they identified damp or mould in at least one of their properties in the last year.

·        26% of landlords said they identified damp or mould in at least one  of their properties in the last year.

·        18% of landlords said that tenants complained about damp or mould in the last year.

Landlords generally reported complying with required legal and health and safety actions for their most recent tenancy.

·        91% provided prospective tenants with a copy of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

·        86% inspected the property to ensure it was fit for human habitation.

·        79% carried out ‘Right to Rent’ checks and 68% provided ‘How to Rent’ guidance.

·        47% of landlords had at least one property with an EPC rating of D or below. Of these landlords, 35% said they were planning to improve the energy efficiency of some or all of their properties.