Having worked as a letting agent for the past 24 years, Jane Fletcher has witnessed the rental market undergo significant changes. Throughout her career, she has spoken with hundreds of landlords, some who simply needed quick advice over the phone, and others who had reached the point where managing everything themselves had become too stressful and time-consuming.
From those conversations came the idea for the M&C Landlord Help Desk: a service designed to give landlords clear answers, practical guidance, and support whenever they need it. Landlords can submit their questions to gain knowledgeable advice from property experts.
Below is a recent question they have received, one that many new landlords are now asking.
"I’ve just bought an investment property; I want to get the best return on it. I know there are new rules coming into effect next March. Should I wait until then to rent it out, or should I rent it immediately?"
The M&C Landlord Help Desk was able to respond accordingly to offer support to this landlord.
"Before making any decision, the most important thing you need to establish is whether the property has been rented at any time in the last two years. Even though you’re the new owner, the tenancy history still affects what rent you can legally set.
"There are several scenarios. The property has not been rented in the last two years. In this case, you are free to advertise now and set the rent in line with current market levels. There is no advantage to waiting until March.
"Alternatively, the property was rented, but the previous tenants left voluntarily. If the former tenants served notice themselves, then waiting until March 2026 may benefit you. Under the upcoming rules, you should then be able to set the rent at full market rent, rather than being tied to the previous registered rent.
"Finally, the property was rented, and the previous owner served notice to sell. This is where many new landlords are caught out. If the tenancy ended because the seller issued notice to sell the property, then you cannot reset the rent to market levels, not now, and not after March.
"In this situation, you remain linked to the last registered rent, regardless of the change in ownership or the new rules coming into force."
M&C Landlord Help Desk is here to help. Contact Jane Fletcher Cahill on 091 397497, or email [email protected]
