Private rents in London have fallen by as much as 20% in some parts of the capital, fuelled by fall in international student numbers, short lets flooding the market and an exodus of tenants to the suburbs.

London rents slid by 3% during the first half of 2020, driven by lockdown and a changing UK rental market.

Renters are in a more vulnerable financial position than homeowners and are more likely to suffer during an economic crisis, new research has found.

The coronavirus crisis has had far reaching effects on people’s incomes. In a bid to mitigate the pressure on people, the government announced in March that mortgage holders would be entitled to a so-called ‘payment holiday’ in the wake of job losses and wage cuts.

Landlords will be banned from evicting tenants during the coronavirus “national emergency” after the government rushed through legislation to help renters who may face financial difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Tenants in England will have more powers to hold landlords who rent out substandard properties to account later this month as the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act comes into force.

The Housing Secretary has called on landlords to “open their doors” to tenants with pets as he announced an overhaul of the current tenancy contract model to make it easier for animal-loving tenants to find homes.

The new Conservative government has abolished no-fault evictions and introduced lifetime deposits under new legislation aimed at improving the rental market in England.

According to data from HMRC and analysed and published by The Times, landlords could play a pivotal role in who ends up with the keys to No.10 Downing Street come December 13, with the outcome of over 100 constituencies potentially in their hands.

One of the UK’s leading landlord bodies has urged political parties to give councils the resources to enforce current buy-to-let regulations rather than impose further legislation on the sector.