Autumn Budget 2025: What it means for Landlords - and why now is the time to Review Your Strategy

By Dawn Clarke

The Autumn Budget 2025 brings several changes for landlords and property investors - but it also brings clarity, stability and a welcome opportunity to reassess your long-term goals.

For many years, landlords have faced uncertainty around taxation and regulation. This Budget, while introducing some adjustments, finally gives us firmer ground to plan on. And with clearer timelines, landlords are now in a stronger position to make informed decisions about rents, portfolios and future investments.

Key Takeaways for Landlords - with a Positive Outlook

• A gradual tax increase - not an overnight shock
  The 2% rise in property-income tax (from April 2027) gives landlords a long runway to plan ahead. With over a year’s notice, you have time to adjust rents, review expenses and ensure your yields remain healthy.

• No new National Insurance charges on rental income
  This will come as a relief to many. Rental income continues to be treated separately, helping landlords maintain profitability.

• Clearer long-term tax planning
  Although some thresholds remain frozen, the Budget provides a more predictable framework to plan around - especially for landlords balancing rental income with other earnings.

• High-value property levy introduced, but only for a small portion of the market
  The new annual charge on properties over £2m will affect a limited number of investors, rather than the broader landlord community.

Reviewing your current Rent levels Is more important than ever

One of the most constructive steps landlords can take now is a full rent review. With rising maintenance costs, tax adjustments ahead and ongoing compliance obligations, it’s essential to ensure your rent reflects:

• current market conditions
• the quality and standard of your property
• increased operational costs
• demand levels in your area

Many landlords discover their rents have fallen behind the market - sometimes significantly - simply because reviews have been delayed for several years. A proactive rent review ensures your property remains financially sustainable while still offering fair value to tenants.

A good letting agent will be able to guide you through this process, compare your rents with local data and help you maintain both competitiveness and profitability.

Turning Change into Opportunity

Although the Budget introduces modest tax adjustments, it also encourages landlords to step back and look at the bigger picture:

• Is your current portfolio performing as well as it could?
• Are some properties delivering strong returns while others fall behind?
• Does the tax change open up opportunities to restructure or reinvest?

This moment of change can often spark positive decisions — whether that’s upgrading a property, adjusting rents, refinancing or planning the next stage of your investment journey.

Thinking of Selling? Here’s a Stress-Free Option for Landlords

If, after reviewing your position, you decide that now or the next 12 months might be the right time to sell, you may be interested in our Off-Market Sales & Investments service.

This specialist service allows landlords to:

• sell discreetly
• avoid public marketing
• retain the tenant in situ (avoiding disruption to their home)
• attract serious investor-buyers only
• achieve a smoother, faster sale

It’s a low-stress route that protects your tenant, minimises void periods, and often delivers stronger outcomes than an open-market sale.

If you’d like to learn more or discuss your options confidentially, I’d be very happy to help.

Dawn Clarke

Managing Director