Void periods now cost landlords in England an average of £1,135 between tenancies, up 12.9 percent year on year, according to new figures from property management firm Rushbrook & Rathbone.
The data puts the average cost of a void at 24 days, up from an average loss of £1,005 a year earlier. London remains the most expensive region for voids at £1,252 per let, while the West Midlands recorded the sharpest annual jump in cost.
For landlords, this matters because the lost rent is only part of the hit. Mortgage payments, insurance, service charges and repair costs do not stop just because a property is empty, which means short gaps between tenancies are becoming more expensive than many investors allow for in headline yield calculations.
Average void cost rises above £1,100
Rushbrook & Rathbone said the average monthly rent in England reached £1,438, leaving landlords £1,135 out of pocket before a new tenancy starts if the property sits empty for the typical 24-day period.
London had the highest average cost at £1,252 despite recording the shortest average void period at 16.6 days. That underlines a simple point for landlords: stronger rents do not remove void risk, they can make each empty day more expensive.
The South East followed at £1,065, ahead of the South West at £1,060 and the East of England at £1,059. The West Midlands posted the sharpest rise, with costs up by £307 over the year.
Higher holding costs are eating into landlord returns
The latest figures land at a time when landlords are already dealing with tighter compliance deadlines and more scrutiny over costs. Landlord Knowledge has previously reported that longer tenancies helped support landlord income in early 2026, but void costs show how quickly those gains can be eroded when a property falls empty.
That is especially true for landlords with financed stock, where even a short gap can mean several weeks of net loss once mortgage interest and running costs are added back in. It also raises pressure to get pricing right first time, keep re-letting periods short and avoid repair delays between occupiers.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s June report on landlords selling three homes for every one bought, which pointed to a market where many owners are already looking harder at weak returns. Rising void costs do not just dent cash flow – they make average-yield stock look less forgiving if demand softens or turnover rises.
The regional spread also matters. In high-rent markets such as London and the South East, each empty day carries a bigger cash penalty. In lower-rent areas, the headline loss may look smaller, but a sharp year-on-year rise can still disrupt expected returns if margins were already tight.
Landlords can review Rushbrook & Rathbone’s landlord services information on the firm’s website, but the wider lesson from the data is less about one company and more about operating discipline. Void management is becoming a front-line profitability issue rather than a back-office inconvenience.
What this means for landlords
- If you are remortgaged or highly geared: build bigger void assumptions into cash-flow planning, not just rent-rise scenarios.
- Watch for: regional shifts where re-letting times start rising even if rents stay firm.
- Bottom line: a property that sits empty for a few weeks can wipe out more return than many landlords expect.
Editor’s view
Many landlords still focus on gross yield first and void loss second. That order is looking dated. In a tighter market, the faster money can come from fewer empty days rather than squeezing for the last extra £25 a month in rent.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 16 June 2026
Sources: Rushbrook & Rathbone
Related reading: Pegasus says Q1 landlord income hit £89,000 as tenancies got longer
