The Current Cost of Being a Landlord in the UK

Maintaining Properties

When renting out a property, repairs are inevitable. Whether caused by tenants, bad plumbing or intense weather conditions, as a landlord, you’re responsible for most of the repairs in your home. Over time, costs can start to add up rapidly, especially if you’re letting multiple properties.

For landlords looking to save some money, DIY repairs may seem tempting. But, when done poorly, these can cause complications down the line and may even require a professional to redo the work, costing you more money overall.

In 2022, we first surveyed UK landlords to explore the costs associated with maintaining and repairing a rental property. Now in 2024, we have rerun the survey to share the very latest facts and figures when it comes to being a landlord today.

Key findings include:

  • Landlord maintenance costs have increased 26.24%. since 2022 to on average £1,374.07 per year
  • Over half (59.80%) of UK landlords have had a dispute with tenants over who is responsible for property repairs or replacements, 10% more than in 2022
  • As little as 3.8% of landlords are unprotected, a fall from 20% in 2022

The UK rental market

First, let’s look at the UK’s rental market.

Since our last survey, both the number of landlords and the average monthly rent costs in the UK have risen. Meaning more landlords than ever are responsible for maintaining rental properties for a record number of tenants, and the expectation on landlords has seemingly increased.

HMRC has revealed that in 2024 there were 2.82 million landlords in the UK, rising from the 2.65 million reported in 2021. Monthly rent prices, reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), were at a record-breaking high in 2021 with the median rent in England being £755. Now the reported average is £825, and the highest to date.

As prices are soaring, renters may want more value for money and be extra vigilant when it comes to household repairs. These increased expectations mean that landlords may be spending more than ever to maintain their rental properties.

But just how much are they spending?

How much does it cost to maintain a rental property?

On average, we found that UK landlords spend £1,374.07 each year on maintaining their rental properties.

That’s £285 more per year since our 2022 survey, an increase of 26.24%.

Maintenance costs in areas across the UK differ significantly, with the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, coming in as the biggest spend for landlords. Glasgow sits in third place for expense, with only Newcastle ahead at an annual cost of £1,632 to landlords. London has dropped to sixth place with Brighton following in 7th, which was the top spending location for landlords in the 2022 survey.

Where in the UK are landlords spending the most on maintenance?

The most expensive repairs

From chipped paint to broken plumbing, any rental property will need repairs from time to time as part of regular upkeep. During our survey, we asked landlords how much they spend when repairing or replacing common household furnishings and fixtures to find out which repairs impact maintenance costs the most. We also looked at how often these repairs are taking place to see how this affects costs over time.

Roof damage is the most expensive repair costing £906 on average - it’s a less common fix though, with landlords only needing to spend money on roofing repairs once in every three years.

This is followed by electrics costing £665 and requiring maintenance at least once a year. Heating issues is the third most expensive repair, costing £655 and needing attention at least once a year. Because of their frequency in needing repairs, in a three year period the two repairs would far exceed the cost of roof maintenance.

Pest damage remains the cheapest repair as we found in our 2022 survey, followed by locks and security, with both needing less time and spend less than once every three years.

Average cost of repairs in rental properties

What is most likely to damage a rental property?

Aside from expected wear and tear, there are a few main reasons why a property can become damaged and need repairing.

When looking at the average cost of repairing damage since our last 2022 survey, this has increased by a massive 121% from £473 in 2022, to £1043 in 2024.

What is the costliest cause of damage?

According to our 2024 survey, theft damage is the most expensive cause of damage to rental properties and landlords spent an average of £1,128 a year fixing post break-in related repairs. Theft damage is also one of the most time-consuming tasks, with landlords reporting 2 to 4 days’ time spent on making repairs.

Southampton is reported as the worst affected area by theft damage, spending £1875.50 a year on repairs, followed by Leeds at £1477 and Liverpool third at £ 1445.82.

The second most expensive issue for landlords to fix in the UK is fire damage, and in third place is damage caused to properties from heatwave damage.

Average cost of damages in rental properties


With multiple causes of damage that may need repairing during a rental period, there can sometimes be ambiguity around who is responsible for fixing any property damage.

In fact, well over half (59.80%) of UK landlords have had a dispute with a tenant over who is responsible for property repairs or replacements.

This is a noticeable rise from 2022 where 48.5% of UK landlords were in dispute - possibly to due to the current economic climate in the UK, and the cost-of-living crisis.

Unfortunately, while damage may be caused by a tenant, landlords are usually responsible for handling any repairs, meaning that the majority of the costs also fall on the landlord. Paying for professional repairs can be a big financial blow, especially without landlord insurance.

To try and get around these costs, many UK landlords turn to DIY methods to fix property damage. However, things don’t always go to plan…

DIY repairs: is it worth it?

How common are DIY repairs?

When dealing with property damage, over half (53%) of UK landlords that we surveyed have attempted to repair something in their rental property themselves. Of landlords that have made DIY repairs in their properties, 60% said this was due to pressures to get the repairs done quickly and 56% said it was due to money constraints.

How confident are UK landlords in their DIY skills?

UK landlords are the most confident in their DIY skills when fixing cosmetic issues such as painting at 69% choosing this, and secondly 54% of landlords feel confident in their own ability to fix mould issues.

By contrast, landlords feel the least confident in their own ability to fix more substantial issues such as roof leaks (36.8%), boiler issues (37.8%) and heating and electrical problems (40.6%respectively).

How successful are DIY repairs?

Over half (52.6%) of UK landlords have gone down the DIY route, with a similar number (43%), regret fixing something themselves.

The main reason landlords regret fixing issues themselves is that they’ve failed to fix the problem, with 38.6% reporting that they caused more damage. Other common outcomes of DIY repairs have been tenant complaints (23%) and long-lasting damage (13%).

46% of landlords that have tried to repair something themselves also had to have their work redone by a professional, often spending more money than if they had had the repairs made by tradesmen in the first place.

The percentage of landlords that agree with each statement

Do UK landlord have insurance?

In cases where substantial repairs are needed, having a insurance policy can help mitigate the financial impact and keep costs down, even when a professional is needed to fix the problem.

When last surveyed in 2022, 20% of UK landlords said they didn’t have insurance, and this has shifted dramatically down to just 3.8% of landlords saying this in 2024.

That’s still a potential 107,160 people facing hefty costs if something was to go wrong in their property. While 4% of those landlords don’t plan on getting landlord insurance, the rest do, a decision that could help them avoid large maintenance over time.

Advice to landlords

Katie Delamain-Blunt, Head of Marketing at Towergate Direct outlines the importance of having landlord insurance: “There is no legal requirement to obtain landlord insurance, however it is a great way to avoid putting yourself at financial risk in the future, giving you piece of mind.

Landlord insurance can protect you as the property owner from financial losses connected to the rental, such as theft, fire, or weather damage and can be extended to include coverage for things like loss of rent. Our survey shows a huge rise in costs to landlords and increased seeming responsibility for landlords to fix damages no matter how they’re caused, so it’s more important now than ever for landlords to ensure they’re protected.

There are a range of different landlord insurance policies, most of which include buildings insurance and property owners’ liability insurance but can be expanded to include policies such as content insurance. Selecting the right policy is bespoke to you and your property, it is important to consider your location, the types of tenants and the content within your property when selecting the right coverage.”

Conclusion

Maintaining a rental property comes with a number of inevitable costs, especially when repairs and replacements are needed after damage or general wear and tear.

While DIY repairs may be okay for chipping paint or old carpet, they may not be as cost-effective as they first seem and paying for a professional tradesman can help you save money in the long-run and avoid any extra costs when repairs are required.

From content cover to buy-to-let policies, having landlord insurance can also help keep costs down when your rental property becomes damaged.

Methodology & sources

In September 2024, Towergate Insurance conducted a study exploring the costs associated with being a landlord and with repairing damages in a rental property. 500 landlords across the UK above the age of 18 were surveyed with regards to the costs of maintaining a property. The results provide a regional breakdown of the costs as well as prevalent damages to properties across the UK.

Towergate, Towergate Insurance, Towergate Insurance Brokers, Towergate Private Clients, Hera Indemnity, Safedrive, Sentinel, CHAS Protect, The Education Broker and Walker Midgley are trading names of Advisory Insurance Brokers Limited. Registered in England Company No. 4043759, Registered Office: 2 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London, EC3R 7PD. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the FCA’s register by checking the FCA website at www.fca.org.uk/register or by contacting them on 0800 111 6768.