English Private Landlord Survey (EPLS)
The English Private Landlord Survey (EPLS) is a large-scale, nationally representative survey of private landlords in England, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). It is the primary source of official government data on who private landlords are, how they operate, what kinds of properties they let, and how they respond to policy and legislative change. The survey has the status of Official Statistics under the Code of Practice for Statistics, meaning it is produced to a defined standard of quality and impartiality. Waves have been published in 2018, 2021, and 2024, with each wave building on the last to track change over time in the private rented sector.
How the survey is conducted
The EPLS samples from landlords who have registered a tenancy deposit directly with one of the three government-backed Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, MyDeposits, and the Deposit Protection Service. There are approximately 4.2 million live deposits registered with these three schemes in England, of which around 1.3 million (30%) were registered directly by landlords rather than through a letting agent. The sample frame therefore covers approximately 513,000 direct landlords. The 2024 survey ran between April and May 2024 and received responses from 9,216 landlords. All findings in the main report relate to direct landlords only, landlords who used an agent to register their deposits are not included, which means the survey may under-represent agent-managed portfolios and potentially overstates the self-management rate.
Key findings from the 2024 EPLS
The 2024 report confirmed several structural features of the sector that have remained consistent across survey waves, alongside some significant shifts in sentiment and intentions.
On portfolio composition, 45% of landlords owned a single rental property, representing 21% of all tenancies in the sample. By contrast, 17% of landlords owned five or more properties and accounted for 49% of tenancies, a concentration that has important implications for regulation, since most rules framed as applying to "landlords" are in practice experienced by people managing one or two properties with no support infrastructure. The EPLS consistently identifies small landlords as the dominant segment by headcount, though larger portfolios control the majority of homes.
On intentions, the 2024 wave recorded a significant deterioration in landlord confidence compared to earlier surveys. Some 31% of landlords reported planning to reduce the size of their portfolio over the following two years, up from 22% in 2021 and 16% in 2018. Only 7% planned to increase their portfolio, down from 11% in 2021. These figures were collected before the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came fully into force and are likely to have shifted further since.
On rent-setting, 58% of landlords increased rent at their most recent new tenancy, up from 45% in 2021 and 42% in 2018, a trend driven primarily by inflation and rising costs. The median rent increase for new tenancies was 11%. For existing tenancies, 52% of landlords raised rent, compared to 26% in 2021.
On tenancy endings, almost half (44%) of landlords reported their most recent tenancy ending because the tenant gave notice, the most common reason. Landlord-initiated endings for sale of the property accounted for a much smaller share, though the survey noted this as a growing factor. At the time of the 2024 fieldwork, 70% of landlords said they used Section 21 notices when they needed possession, a route that has since been abolished by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 from 1 May 2026.
Why it matters for policy
The EPLS is the primary source feeding government understanding of the sector ahead of major legislative reform. Its findings on small landlord dominance, portfolio intentions, self-management rates, and attitudes to different tenant types have been directly cited in impact assessments for the Renters' Rights Act, MEES consultations, and deposit reform. Because most landlords do not belong to associations or respond to industry consultations, the EPLS is one of the few mechanisms through which the experience of the average private landlord reaches government. The 2024 data on portfolio reduction intentions has been widely cited as evidence of a contraction risk in the sector in the context of the new regulatory landscape.
The MHCLG also commissioned a segmentation analysis alongside the 2024 main report, which divided landlords into six distinct operating types: small-scale investors for retirement (the largest group at 24%), small-scale accidental landlords, small-scale retired landlords, moderate-scale business and investor landlords, large-scale business landlords, and corporate landlords. This segmentation is a more nuanced picture of the sector than the undifferentiated "landlord" of public debate. August's analysis of that report is set out in the blog post on why landlords aren't one thing.
August's property insights feature is built for the self-managing landlord demographic that the EPLS consistently identifies as the majority of the sector by headcount, those managing one to four properties with no letting agent and limited administrative support.
Frequently asked questions
How often is the English Private Landlord Survey published?
The EPLS has been published in 2018, 2021, and 2024. It does not run on a fixed annual cycle. The gap between waves is typically two to three years, with each wave using a similar methodology to allow comparison over time.
Who is included in the EPLS sample?
The survey samples from landlords who registered a tenancy deposit directly with one of the three government-backed TDP schemes. Landlords who used a letting agent to register deposits are not included in the main sample. This means the data may under-represent agent-managed landlords and larger portfolio operators, and may slightly overstate self-management rates across the sector.
What is the most important finding from the 2024 EPLS?
The most significant trend across the 2024 wave is the shift in portfolio intentions. The proportion of landlords planning to reduce their portfolio rose to 31%, up from 22% in 2021 and 16% in 2018. Combined with a rental increase rate of 58% for new tenancies and a decline in landlords planning to expand, the data paints a picture of a sector under financial and regulatory pressure at the point of the survey.
How does the EPLS influence government policy?
The EPLS carries Official Statistics status and is directly used by MHCLG in impact assessments, policy consultations, and legislative development. Findings on landlord demographics, self-management rates, and attitudes to different tenant groups have been cited in the development of the Renters' Rights Act, minimum energy efficiency standards reforms, and selective licensing guidance. Because most landlords are not members of industry bodies, the EPLS is one of the few systematic ways their experiences are captured in the policy process.
