In this blog:
- What the Renters’ Rights Act changed for landlords
- What a void period actually costs in 2026
- Why tenants are more likely to leave now than before
- Why the properties with the lowest void rates are better managed, not better located
- The case for full management
Since 1st May 2026, your tenants have been able to leave at any time. No end of term. No complicated process. Two months’ written notice, served on the day rent is due, and they can go. Fixed-term tenancies no longer exist. Every tenancy in the private rented sector is now rolling, and that changes the calculation on how you manage your property considerably.
This blog sets out what that change means for void periods, what void periods actually cost, and why the landlords with the shortest voids are not the lucky ones.
What the Renters’ Rights Act actually changed
From 1st May 2026, most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies. It is no longer possible to have a tenancy agreement with an end date. If your current agreement has an end date written into it, that clause no longer applies.
A tenant who wants to leave can now do so by giving two months’ written notice, served on the day rent is due or the day before. They do not need a reason. They do not need to wait for a fixed term to end.
For landlords, this is a direct change to the risk profile of every tenancy. A tenant who was previously anchored to a fixed term is no longer anchored to anything. The decision to stay is now entirely voluntary, made month by month, based on whether the property and the management meet their expectations.
What a void period actually costs
Most landlords underestimate the cost of a void period because they only count the rent they lose. The mortgage does not pause. The council tax does not pause. Insurance continues. There may be cleaning, redecoration or minor repairs before the next tenant moves in.
In 2026, the average cost of a void period in England is £1,135, based on an average empty period of 24 days. That figure represents a 12.9% increase from April 2025. In Leeds specifically, the average monthly private rent reached £1,135 in June 2026, up 2.9% from June 2025 according to the Office for National Statistics. That is what is at risk every time a tenancy ends.
Why void periods are more likely now
Under the old framework, a tenant who was broadly satisfied would often stay put because leaving meant navigating a fixed-term end date, a deposit return process, references, new agents and new paperwork. All of that created friction that worked in the landlord’s favour.
That friction has gone. A tenant with a niggling maintenance issue that has not been resolved, or who feels their landlord is hard to reach, or who simply finds somewhere they prefer, can now give notice at any point without penalty and without complication. The Renters’ Rights Act increases the importance of standards, administration and professional management. Issues such as damp, mould, heating failure and poor maintenance are likely to attract stronger scrutiny. Delaying repairs can become expensive quickly.
The properties retaining tenants for longer are not simply better located or more attractively priced than their competitors. They are better managed.
The case for full management
The landlords in north Leeds with the lowest void rates are not leaving their properties to chance. Maintenance requests are dealt with promptly. Compliance documents, gas safety records, electrical installation condition reports and energy performance certificates are renewed before they lapse. Rent reviews are handled correctly using Form 4A with the required two months’ notice. And when a tenant gives notice, the process of finding and properly referencing the right next tenant begins immediately.
At Adair Paxton, that is what full management means. Not a service that responds when something goes wrong, but a structured approach to the entire tenancy that actively reduces the likelihood of a void in the first place. Your tenancy agreements are current and compliant. Your compliance position is tracked. Your tenant relationship is managed throughout, not just at renewal.
If you are self-managing, or on a rent collection arrangement that does not include active day-to-day management, the question is not whether full management costs more than what you are doing now. The question is whether what you are doing now is actually cheaper once voids are accounted for.
If you would like an honest conversation about how your current arrangement is performing, and what full management with Adair Paxton would look like for your property, we would be glad to help.