Around 43% of landlords fall into what the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government describes as mixed or lower compliance and awareness groups, suggesting many may struggle to self-regulate effectively. The TDS Charitable Foundation has published data which explores the reasons for this, highlighting that often the cause is not deliberate. The research has direct implications for letting agents managing landlord relationships in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Four key themes and four practical actions
For each of the behavioural patterns the research identifies, there are practical steps agents can take.
Overconfidence
Landlords often rely on their experience and the absence of previous problems as evidence that they are compliant, without actively checking whether rules have changed or apply differently to their circumstances.
Agents can consider introducing a structured check at the start of each tenancy year covering key certificates, deposit protection status, and any regulatory changes since the last review. Framing this as routine service rather than a response to a problem removes the defensiveness that can otherwise make these conversations difficult.
Over-reliance on others
Many landlords delegate compliance tasks to letting agents or trusted peers and assume everything has been handled. This diffusion of responsibility means non-compliance can go unnoticed until a problem escalates, and the landlord remains legally accountable regardless of what they believed was being managed on their behalf.
Where landlords over-rely on agents without understanding their own responsibilities, the answer is not for agents to take on more - it is to help landlords understand what they are responsible for even when an agent is managing the property. A straightforward annual summary of what has been done and what the landlord remains accountable for gives clients the information they need without creating additional workload.
Cognitive overload
When guidance is dense, jargon-heavy or difficult to navigate, landlords can struggle to translate it into action. Under high cognitive load, the default response is to do nothing -not out of deliberate avoidance, but because the information landscape feels too complex to work through alongside other demands.
Simplicity is the most effective tool to help address this issue. Plain-English communications, checklist-style reminders, and short summaries of regulatory changes (rather than lengthy legal explanations) are more likely to result in action. The research found that when landlords in Salford were alerted to non-compliance issues clearly and directly, 90% made the necessary improvements without requiring formal enforcement action.
Present bias
Compliance consistently loses out to more immediate pressures. Without a visible deadline or a specific trigger event, some landlords do not review their compliance position at all.
Timely prompts work better than general information. Linking compliance reminders to specific milestones like a tenancy anniversary, a certificate renewal date, a seasonal inspection, gives landlords a concrete moment to act rather than a general awareness that they should probably do something at some point.
The bigger picture
The research was carried out against the backdrop of one of the most significant periods of regulatory change the private rented sector has seen. The Renters' Rights Act, future Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and the upcoming PRS Database are all increasing the compliance burden on landlords. Approximately 156,000 private rented properties in Greater Manchester alone do not yet meet an EPC band C rating - a scale of potential non-compliance that will require active support, not just enforcement, to address.
The research recommends three practical interventions: clear, jargon-free information structured by property type and tenancy stage; a reframing of the landlord-tenant relationship towards mutual responsibility; and a digital compliance health check tool that delivers tailored reminders aligned to key tenancy milestones. All three point in the same direction -compliance improves when it is made easier and more achievable, and that agents are well placed to help make that happen.
The next phase of the project will test these approaches in practice in Greater Manchester, in partnership with TDS, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Good Landlord Charter. Findings will be shared with the wider sector.
The full research briefing can be downloaded here
Further support from TDS
For guidance, tools and templates to support your agency and landlord clients, visit the TDS Help Centre. As a TDS agent customer, Agent+ gives you access to exclusive deals and discounts from a range of hand-picked partners.
About the TDS Charitable Foundation
The TDS Charitable Foundation is an independent charity funded by donations from The Dispute Service (TDS), the UK's leading tenancy deposit protection and resolution service provider. Established in 2014, the Foundation works to raise standards in the private rented sector by promoting education about the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, and advancing the use of alternative dispute resolution. It delivers its mission through research, grants to sector organisations, and resources for landlords and tenants across England and Wales.
TDS: Easy tenancy deposit protection
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) is the only not-for-profit, Government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme offering both FREE Custodial tenancy deposit protection and Insured tenancy deposit protection.
