Lendlord: 79% of sampled landlords use rolling tenancies

Lendlord data from a sample of 5,235 UK landlords with a current tenant shows that 79 percent run rolling tenancies only, while a separate survey found that about 90 percent had not had their latest agreement checked by a solicitor.

The property-management and finance platform recorded 15,622 tenancies in the sample. It said 86.1 percent were recorded as rolling and 12.3 percent as fixed term. Among tenancies grouped by starting month, the fixed-term share fell from 31.3 percent for October 2025 starts to 0.9 percent for August 2026 starts.

The figures land after assured tenancies in England moved to a periodic structure on 1 May 2026 under the Renters’ Rights Act. A rolling agreement is no longer an unusual arrangement for landlords, but the survey result raises a separate question about whether the written terms and information used alongside it are current and understood.

Rolling agreements now dominate the sample

Lendlord said 84.7 percent of the landlords sampled ran at least one rolling tenancy. Alongside the 79 percent using them exclusively, another 5.7 percent had both rolling and fixed arrangements. Only 14.5 percent were recorded as running a fixed-only book.

The data is drawn from landlords who use Lendlord and should not be treated as a census of every private rental home. It is nevertheless a current indication of how quickly tenancy records in one sizeable landlord user base have changed since the new rules began.

Aviram Shahar, co-founder and chief executive of Lendlord, said landlords had adapted quickly to the new structure, but moving to a rolling tenancy was only one part of compliance. He said landlords also needed clear agreements and an understanding of their ongoing obligations.

Agreement checks are a separate concern

In Lendlord’s separate landlord survey, around 45 percent of respondents said they had obtained their latest tenancy agreement directly from a letting or managing agent. About one in four said a solicitor’s review would make them more confident in the wording, the most common response to that question.

Landlord Knowledge’s coverage of the Renters’ Rights Act going live set out why landlords needed to review procedures as the tenancy changes took effect. A contract is only one part of that work, but it should match the tenancy being granted and the notices, prescribed information and records held for it.

A landlord does not need to commission legal advice for every routine renewal or change. The more immediate risk is relying on an old form without checking whether it reflects the periodic-tenancy rules or the facts of the property. That is particularly important where a tenant has changed, a guarantor remains involved or the landlord has moved from agent management to self-management.

Landlord Knowledge’s report on paperwork risks when tenants swap showed how a change in occupiers can expose weak records. The same principle applies here: a landlord should be able to identify the current agreement, the parties to it and the information supplied at the start of the tenancy.

Lendlord, which supplied the tenancy data and survey findings, said its figures were based on its landlord user base. Its release did not provide a separate public research report, so the figures should be read as company data rather than an industry-wide estimate.

What this means for landlords

• If you use an older template: check that it is suitable for the current periodic-tenancy system before using it for a new let or change of tenant.
• Keep together: the signed agreement, guarantor paperwork where relevant, prescribed information and a clear record of who occupies the property.
• Watch for: a change in agent, tenant or management arrangement that leaves the agreement and the actual tenancy out of step.
• Bottom line: rolling tenancies are now common, but landlords still need paperwork that matches the tenancy they are managing.

Editor’s view
The 79 percent figure is useful because it puts a number on a change landlords have been making since May. The more revealing finding is the uncertainty around agreements. A periodic tenancy is not difficult to manage, but it needs records that stand up when a question is raised.

Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 21 September 2026

Sources: Lendlord tenancy data and landlord survey, 18 September 2026
Related reading: Renters’ Rights Act goes live as compliance becomes key
 

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save