A widening disconnect between letting agents, landlords and tenants is emerging in the private rented sector as it prepares for the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act, according to new research from Goodlord.
The survey of 2,650 industry participants, published in a report titled Is Renting Broken?, highlights growing pressure points across the sector, with communication and operational strain at the centre of concerns.
Letting agents are facing significant capacity challenges, with one in five (20%) identifying administrative workload as their biggest operational bottleneck. More than three quarters (76%) said time spent on admin is limiting their ability to grow, with managing property maintenance the most time-intensive task.
The findings suggest that administrative pressures are now a greater barrier to growth than preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act (72%) or securing new landlord business (65%).
Despite this, many landlords remain unconvinced of the value agents provide. While 68% use full property management services, 59% cited high fees and poor value as key frustrations. Only 6% said they were “very satisfied” with value for money.
Communication appears to be a central issue. Although 67% of landlords said they were satisfied overall with agent communication, nearly half (48%) still listed it among their main frustrations.
Tenants are reporting similar concerns. More than a third (37%) said they were frustrated by poor communication, while maintenance issues were the most common complaint. Damp and mould (25%), general maintenance (22%) and plumbing (21%) topped the list, with 53% saying faster repairs would most improve their renting experience.
Tom Goodman, managing director at Goodlord, said: “As the PRS becomes increasingly complex and heavily regulated, letting agents’ ability to help landlords navigate the market has never been more valuable. However, the results of this survey point to a clear disconnect between the priorities and frustrations currently felt by agents and landlords.
“The issue isn’t that agents aren’t working hard enough, or even that they’re not delivering. It’s that the value of that delivery isn’t always visible.
“As it stands, it’s evident that at least some elements of the PRS are broken. Fixing the underlying breakdown in communication is the first step to addressing these. Failure to do so risks damaging trust at a time when the relationship between landlords and letting agents is more important than ever.”
He added that the administrative burden linked to property maintenance is contributing to the gap between effort and outcomes.
“Tenants’ complaints are directly related to the admin burden hampering agents’ operational capacity. Whether it’s obtaining quotes, chasing contractors for compliance documents, or processing invoices, routine property maintenance generates reams of admin for overstretched teams.
“What’s clear is that, regardless of the immense effort agents are putting into dealing with these problems, tenants aren’t feeling the benefit. This needs to change.”
Goodman warned that misalignment between stakeholders could deepen as new legislation comes into force.
“As the RRA transforms our sector, agents must do all they can to bake compliance into every level of their operations, and to ensure that any changes are communicated as clearly as possible to landlords and tenants. Doing so won’t be easy, but will be critical to navigating this once-in-a-generation transition.”
