SpareRoom has found around one in seven landlords in England who let to sharers have switched to room-only tenancies since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, with a further 12 percent weighing the same move.
The figures come from a September 2026 survey of 668 landlords, released on 4 November, alongside platform data for the third quarter of 2026 showing rooms listed by sitting or outgoing flatmates fell to 26 percent of supply from 30 percent a year earlier, while landlord and agent listings rose from 42 percent to 44 percent.
Sharer landlords now face a straight trade-off between void risk and turnover risk. Room-only deals limit the damage when one tenant leaves to a single empty room, but shutting sitting tenants out of choosing replacements can unsettle a household and push the remaining tenants out.
Joint-tenancy notice rule drives the shift
Under the Renters’ Rights Act in England, where one person named on a joint assured tenancy gives valid notice, the tenancy will usually end for everyone named on the agreement. SpareRoom said some landlords have treated that moment as a chance to clear a property and re-list at a higher rent, while others have moved to room-only deals to cut their exposure to full-property voids.
A separate SpareRoom survey of 3,928 tenants in England found almost three times as many renters now hold room-only agreements as joint tenancies. Just 14.1 percent reported a joint contract with shared responsibility for rent, against 39.3 percent renting by the room with individual agreements. Around 15 percent chose neither description and 31.8 percent said the question did not apply as they do not flatshare.
Flatshare choice falls as room-only lets grow
Of those renting by the room who had seen housemates leave, 71 percent said their landlord had not let them choose the replacement. SpareRoom urged landlords to give sitting tenants a say in who moves in, arguing that fit matters more than speed when a room turns over. Its October analysis of lodger supply showed live-in landlord rooms already slipping year on year, which points to tighter choice across the wider sharing market.
Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom, said tenants now have stronger protection from eviction under the Act, with valid grounds and proper process required. “A problem tenant can’t be made to leave because of a personality clash with other housemates, so it’s all the more important to choose wisely and consider household dynamics,” he said.
Hutchinson said who a tenant lives with matters more than where they live, and warned that excluding flatmates from the decision can backfire. “It’s understandable more landlords are offering room-only tenancies under the new rules. They know void periods are costly, and one empty room is a far smaller financial hit than an empty house or flat,” he said. “But if one person’s behaviour prompts other tenants to give notice, it defeats the whole object of room-only lets.”
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s October report on shared-living conditions, which found one in five HMO tenants had felt unsafe where they live. Taken together, the two releases point to the same pressure: household mix now carries as much letting risk as rent levels, and landlords who ignore it face higher churn.
The release, published on SpareRoom’s statistics page, also noted its call for landlords to involve existing flatmates in viewings and selection. The company said turnover should fall where sitting tenants back the choice of who moves in.
What this means for landlords
- If you let to sharers in England: review whether joint or room-only terms suit each property, and take advice before changing existing agreements.
- Watch for: full-property voids when one joint tenant serves notice, plus faster churn where replacements are imposed without consulting the household.
- Bottom line: one empty room costs less than one empty house, but only if the remaining tenants stay.
Editor’s view
SpareRoom has put a number on what sharer landlords already sense: the joint tenancy is losing its place. Room-only deals buy protection against total voids, yet landlords who pick strangers for settled households will pay for it in turnover.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 5 November 2026
Sources: SpareRoom press release 4 November 2026, SpareRoom landlord survey September 2026, SpareRoom tenant survey September 2026
Related reading: SpareRoom urges Budget rise to Rent a Room rate as lodger supply slips
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
