2025 Landlord Report

Maintenance, Regulation & Tech Trends
An independent insight report into how self-managing landlords are adapting to operational, regulatory and technology changes across the private rented sector.
Published: 19 November 2025

Introduction

The UK rental sector is continuing to evolve as new expectations emerge around service standards, responsiveness and transparency. With recent regulation strengthening tenant rights and introducing clearer expectations around repairs and record-keeping, many landlords are reviewing how they manage communication, maintenance, and operational processes.

This report explores how self-managing landlords currently operate, how confident they feel about future compliance requirements, and how digital tools may support the sector in creating a more structured, efficient and tenant-centred approach to repairs.

Rather than assessing the market through risk or enforcement, this report focuses on behaviour, sentiment and readiness - reflecting a sector that is increasingly professionalised and open to change.

Survey Overview

  • Respondent Type: Self-managing portfolio holders
  • Themes Assessed:
    • Repair logging and communication processes
    • Confidence in regulation and compliance
    • Time and workload pressures
    • Attitudes toward automation and AI
    • Willingness to adopt new operational tools

Key Findings at a Glance

“Landlords are open to digital solutions - but want them to feel practical, compliant, and tenant-friendly.”

  • Most landlords still rely on traditional communication methods for maintenance.
  • Time spent on repairs and communication varies significantly by portfolio size.
  • Confidence in compliance is growing - but digital record-keeping remains an emerging need.
  • Interest in automation is rising, although landlord and tenant acceptance will develop gradually.

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How Landlords Currently Manage Repairs

Manual processes remain the dominant approach to maintenance tracking. The vast majority of communication is informal and often personalised - a style many
landlords feel supports rapport, but which may challenge record consistency and efficiency.

92.5%

Phone calls, texts, email or personal messaging

7.5%

Formal maintenance or ticketing software

Confidence in Changing Regulation

Landlords are increasingly aware of the importance of record-keeping, documentation and timely response standards. The numbers suggest a transitional phase: landlords understand what’s coming, but many are still exploring best-practice operational systems.

41.5%

identified upcoming regulation and compliance clarity as their main concern
for the next 12 months.

35.8%

said they are either not confident or not fully aware of how to maintain a
proper auditable repair trail.

Time Commitment and Workload

Maintenance tasks continue to represent a regular time investment. The results illustrate that maintenance communication is not just administrative - it often extends
into personal and non-working time.

34.0%

2+ hours/month

15.1%

6+ hours/month

32.1%

Handle maintenance queries outside business hours

Attitudes Toward AI and Automation

Automation is emerging as a potential support layer. Landlord adoption appears gradual, but the proportion open to technology is already meaningful - and likely to grow as solutions become more intuitive and tenant-friendly.

60.4%

Still unsure of using AI as first contact

28.3%

Comfortable or very comfortable using AI for first-line maintenance

What Landlords Value Most in Technology

When asked what benefit mattered most in an automated system for maintenance reporting landlords indicated they see technology not as a replacement for involvement - but as a support system for consistency, documentation and predictable workload.

18.9%

A clear audit trail and record of communication

15.1%

Time savings and fewer interruptions

Sector Outlook

The survey results suggest the UK rental market is entering a maturing phase where structure, documentation and responsiveness are increasingly prioritised. While most self-managing landlords currently rely on personal communication channels, the data shows a clear shift toward interest in:

  • Digital record-keeping
  • Automated maintenance workflows
  • Tenant-friendly communication tools
  • Compliance-ready documentation

As expectations evolve, tools that support efficiency without removing personal connection may play an increasingly central role.

About This Report

This report was commissioned by AskLettie, a UK rental technology platform supporting landlords and tenants with automated maintenance logging and communication. All data and analysis were generated independently based on voluntary landlord responses.

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