HTB commments on ONS Private Rent and House Price data

19 August 2026

Alex Upton, Managing Director, Specialist Mortgages & Bridging Finance, Hampshire Trust Bank, said:

“Competition for good-quality rental property remains intense, which helps explain why rents continue to rise. The latest Propertymark report found letting agents have an average of just 12 properties per branch, compared with 98 prospective tenants. That is a significant imbalance, and in many areas good rental properties simply do not stay available for long.

“At the same time, the succession of legislative changes in recent years, culminating in the Renters’ Rights Act, has changed the way many landlords are thinking about their portfolios. The landlords we work with are being much more strategic and moving beyond expansion for its own sake. Strong tenant demand does not automatically make every acquisition a good investment, and professional landlords are increasingly discerning about where they put their capital. We’re seeing more focus on which properties genuinely strengthen a portfolio, where income is more resilient and where there is a clear case for further investment.

“That shift towards more considered, professional investment is positive, but it cannot make up for a shortage of rental homes. That means creating the conditions in which landlords have the confidence to keep investing while standards continue to rise across the sector. Unless we address supply as well as standards, renters will continue to compete for too few homes and affordability will remain under pressure.”