- Expect more protections for tenants and new energy efficiency targets
- A capital gains tax hike would discourage new investment
- Rental growth looks strong but market conditions remain challenging
You would be forgiven for considering the last government's failure to pass the renters' reform bill before the dissolution of parliament as good news for landlords – given that one of the bill’s key goals was increasing protections for tenants. But the respite is likely to be brief at best.
Experts agree that legislative uncertainty is weighing heavily on the buy-to-let sector, and while Labour’s landslide victory gives newly appointed housing secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner the remit to create the party’s own version of the bill, what that will look like remains unclear. There are also huge questions over what Labour will decide to do with capital gains tax (CGT) and rental homes’ energy efficiency standards.