The true cost of tenant turnover for landlords in 2026

The true cost of tenant turnover for landlords in 2026 hero

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Most landlords think carefully about the rent a tenant pays. Far fewer add up what it costs when one leaves, and tenant turnover is one of the biggest hidden costs in letting.

After many years letting and managing homes across Berkshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, we have learned one thing above all. Finding a tenant is the easy part. Keeping the right one is where letting is won or lost.

It is why our tenants stay an average of 3 years and 3 months, and why that number, not how quickly a property fills, is the one worth watching. Since the law changed this year, it matters more than it ever has.

Why choosing the right tenant matters more than ever

Getting that decision right has always mattered. Since the law changed this year, it matters far more. A year ago, a difficult tenant was a containable problem. You could give notice and, fairly quickly, draw a line under it. That has changed. To rely on the main arrears ground now, the rent has to be three months in arrears, and then you must give four weeks' notice, so it is around four months before you can even begin proceedings. The claim must then go through the courts, adding several months more.

And here is the part that matters most: once the wrong tenant is in, almost none of that is within your control. You cannot speed the courts up. You cannot shorten the notice. The one moment you're in control is before they move in.

So letting has quietly changed shape. The whole thing now rests on a single decision, who you let in, and that decision is made before a tenancy ever begins. Get it right, and a good tenant tends to settle and stay. Get it wrong, and there is no longer a fast way back.

Which is why the number worth watching is not how quickly an agent fills your property. It is how long the tenant stays, because a long tenancy is the clearest sign that the decision at the front door was the right one.

Add up what a tenant leaving actually costs

When a tenancy ends, the costs of replacing a tenant add up quickly. There is usually a void between tenants, and on a home let at £1,300 a month, a single empty month is £1,300 gone before anything else. Add the re-letting, the referencing, the wear of another move, and your time, and it is easy to underestimate.

Do that every few years, and it is a manageable cost of letting. Do it every year, and you are paying for the same job over and over. It rarely shows up as one alarming bill, which is why it goes unnoticed.

What else changed in 2026, and why the records matter

The higher arrears threshold and the slower courts are only part of it. To end a tenancy now, you also have to prove your case, and that means paperwork. A judge will want to see a full record of the rent, dated notes from inspections, and the right documents, all in order. Without them, even a fair claim can fail.

There is a new rule coming too. Once the new Private Rented Sector Database goes live, expected from late 2026, you will need to be registered on it to serve a valid Section 8 notice.

So the records you keep from day one are now part of how you protect yourself, not just admin to catch up on later. Staying on top of all this is a big part of what we do for our landlords, so they do not have to.

Why the right tenant is now your best protection

If the whole risk rests on who you let to, then the most valuable thing you can do is get that decision right, and keep a good tenant for as long as possible.

That protection starts before anyone moves in, and it is a corner we will not cut. Proper referencing is more than a quick credit check. It means confirming the rent is genuinely affordable for the applicant, checking their employment, and speaking to previous landlords about how they treated the last property and whether they paid on time. It also means being honest about the match. A tenant whose needs suit the property, in location, size and type, has far more reason to settle and stay than one who takes it because nothing better was available.

Then it continues through the tenancy. Tenants leave when repairs drag, when calls go unanswered, when they feel like an inconvenience. They stay when the home is well looked after, and problems are dealt with promptly and fairly, which is where a real, reachable person makes the difference. Look after the tenant well, and you look after the landlord's income at the same time.

The number that proves it works

Choosing carefully and managing properly does not just avoid problems. It keeps good tenants for the long term. Jones Robinson tenants stay an average of 3 years and 3 months. Many stay longer. That is the result of referencing carefully, placing the right tenant, and looking after the let so that good tenants have every reason to stay.

We are an independent, owner-led firm with local teams who have worked in these towns for years. The person who references your tenant and looks after your property knows the area and stays accountable, not a call centre and not a different name every time you ring.

It is the same care that protects you under the new rules, and the same care that keeps a good tenant year after year.

If you are letting a property, or wondering whether your current arrangement is really working for you, book a management review with our lettings team. We will be straight with you about your property, your tenants, and what full management could change. Because letting should feel like an investment, not a second job.