For landlords considering how best to let a property, the decision has rarely been simply about comparing one rental figure with another.
Changes to the private rental sector have altered how assured tenancies operate in England, while short-stay options come with their own rules, restrictions and practical considerations.
For many landlords, a professionally managed assured periodic tenancy may continue to offer exactly the kind of residential letting arrangement they are looking for. For others – perhaps those with a vacant property, changing future plans or different priorities around flexibility – other approaches may also be worth exploring.
Before deciding, however, it can be useful to take a step back and consider what you actually need the property to do for you.
What Are Your Plans for the Property?
Perhaps one of the most useful places to begin is not with the rental market, but with your own circumstances.
Is the property primarily a long-term investment?
Could you want to sell it in the foreseeable future?
Might you or a family member need to live in it again?
Are you based overseas and looking for a way to have the property professionally managed while it is occupied?
Or perhaps the property is currently vacant and you are simply considering how best to make use of it.
The answers may influence how important factors such as continuity of occupation, flexibility, management and potential income are to you.
Understanding those priorities first can make it considerably easier to decide which letting approach deserves further consideration.
How Have Periodic Tenancies Changed the Picture?
From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act changed the structure of assured tenancies in England. Fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies were replaced by assured periodic tenancies, which continue on a rolling basis rather than having a predetermined end date.
For landlords accustomed to agreeing a fixed term of perhaps 12 or 24 months, this changes an important element of the relationship.
A tenant can generally end an assured periodic tenancy by giving up to two months’ notice, or a shorter period where this has been agreed.
For landlords, however, the position is different.
With Section 21 abolished, a landlord generally needs to rely on a recognised legal ground for possession, and the amount of notice required depends on the circumstances.
Where the tenant has done nothing wrong, the notice period will usually be four months – including where the landlord intends to sell the property or needs it for themselves or a close family member to live in. Shorter periods can apply where there are tenancy-related issues – for example, serious rent arrears generally require four weeks’ notice, while some serious antisocial-behaviour grounds allow proceedings to begin sooner.
Where the landlord intends to sell or needs the property for themselves or a close family member, there is also a 12-month protected period at the beginning of a new tenancy.
This makes considering your own future plans particularly important before letting the property.
None of this means that an assured periodic tenancy is necessarily a less suitable choice.
For landlords looking for the potential of sustained occupation, less frequent occupant turnover and a residential letting arrangement that can be professionally managed, it may remain an attractive option.
What has changed is the importance of understanding both the tenant’s flexibility and the landlord’s responsibilities and limitations before deciding whether the arrangement suits your plans.
What Might a Professionally Managed Residential Let Offer?
For some landlords, the priorities may be relatively straightforward.
They may want the property occupied as a home, hope to establish a longer-term relationship with a suitable tenant and prefer not to deal personally with every aspect of managing the tenancy.
A professionally managed residential letting can provide support with the ongoing responsibilities involved in letting a property, while allowing the landlord to take a more hands-off approach.
Through my professional letting partner, landlords also have the reassurance of an established support network to help navigate the requirements of the changing rental landscape. This can be particularly valuable as landlords adjust to the new tenancy framework and the responsibilities that come with it.
It may particularly appeal to someone whose priority is the potential for sustained occupation rather than regularly changing occupants or actively managing the tenancy themselves.
The move to periodic tenancies does not remove those potential advantages.
It simply means that landlords should enter the arrangement with a clear understanding of how periodic tenancies now operate – particularly if they anticipate wanting to sell, return to the property or make it available to a family member in the foreseeable future.
Could a Short-Stay Approach Be Worth Considering?
For other properties and circumstances, professionally managed short stays may be another option worth exploring.
This could be particularly relevant where a property is vacant, where the owner lives overseas, or where retaining a different degree of flexibility around the property’s future use is important.
However, short-stay letting should not simply be viewed as a way of avoiding the commitments associated with an assured tenancy.
The property itself needs to be suitable, and the rules governing its use need to be understood.
In London, residential properties can generally be used for short-term sleeping accommodation for no more than 90 nights in a calendar year without the relevant planning permission. Beyond that limit, planning permission is required.
The 90-night allowance also does not automatically mean that every London property can be offered for short stays.
Lease or freeholder restrictions, mortgage conditions, insurance requirements and other considerations may affect whether a property can be used in this way.
So before asking:
“What could my property earn as a short stay?”
there is another question worth answering first:
“Is my property actually suitable for this type of letting?”
Establishing that first can avoid making decisions based on potential income from an arrangement that may not be appropriate – or permitted – for the individual property.
Look Beyond the Headline Rental Figure
Potential income will understandably form part of any landlord’s decision.
But comparing a monthly rental figure with a potential nightly rate rarely provides the complete picture.
With short stays, factors such as likely occupancy, management, cleaning and operating costs all need to be considered when looking at what a property might realistically produce.
Equally, a residential letting should not be considered solely in terms of the monthly rent. The potential for sustained occupation, different management requirements and fewer changes of occupant may have value to a landlord in their own right.
The most useful comparison, therefore, is unlikely to be:
“Which option has the highest headline figure?”
A better question may be:
“What is the likely overall outcome once income, costs, management requirements, flexibility and my own plans for the property are considered together?”
That provides a much more meaningful basis for comparing different approaches.
How Involved Do You Want to Be?
This can sometimes be overlooked when landlords consider how to let a property.
Managing any rental property requires attention, although the nature and frequency of that involvement can vary considerably depending on the arrangement.
Some landlords are comfortable remaining closely involved. Others – particularly overseas owners, landlords with busy professional lives, or those who simply prefer a more hands-off investment – may place considerable value on professional management.
Importantly, professional management is not exclusive to one letting model.
A residential tenancy can be professionally managed, just as a short-stay property can be professionally managed.
It is therefore worth considering not only what you would like the property to generate, but also how much responsibility you personally want to retain for its day-to-day operation.
Sometimes the solution that looks most attractive on paper may be considerably less attractive if it requires a level of involvement that does not suit your circumstances.
Understanding the Options Before Making a Decision
There may not be one letting strategy that is inherently better than another.
Instead, the question is whether a particular approach works for your property, your circumstances and your longer-term plans.
If a professionally managed residential tenancy appears to fit those priorities, understanding how periodic tenancies now operate – together with the professional support available – can help you enter the arrangement with more realistic expectations.
If short-stay letting is one of the possibilities you are considering, establishing both the property’s suitability and its realistic income potential can help you make a more informed comparison.
Through my specialist short-stay management partner, a complimentary bespoke income assessment can be arranged for suitable properties. This can provide an indication of potential short-stay performance based on the individual property rather than relying simply on broad market averages.
The purpose is not to assume that short stays will automatically provide the better solution.
The assessment simply provides another piece of information to consider alongside the property’s suitability, applicable restrictions, likely costs, management requirements and your wider plans.
Sometimes that information may support exploring the short-stay route further. In other circumstances, a professionally managed residential tenancy may make considerably more sense.
Understanding the options before committing to one is what matters.
A Final Thought
The rental landscape has changed, but that does not mean there is now one obvious way for every landlord to let a property.
Assured periodic tenancies can continue to offer the potential for sustained residential occupation and can be professionally managed for landlords who prefer a more hands-off arrangement. At the same time, the new tenancy structure means landlords need to understand the implications if their own circumstances change and they later need possession of the property.
Short stays offer a different proposition, but property suitability, London’s 90-night rule and other property-specific restrictions all need to be considered before potential income enters the equation.
For that reason, deciding how to let a property is perhaps best approached not by asking:
“Which type of letting is better?”
but:
“Which approach is better suited to my property, my circumstances and what I want to achieve?”
Taking the time to answer that question at the outset may make the eventual decision considerably clearer.d.
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Thinking About Your Own Property?
If you are considering how best to let your property and would like to talk through the available options, I would be happy to have an initial conversation about your circumstances and what you hope to achieve.
Depending on your requirements, this may include exploring a professionally managed residential letting or considering whether the property could be suitable for professionally managed short stays.
Where short-stay potential is being considered, I can also arrange a complimentary bespoke income assessment through my specialist short-stay management partner, helping you understand what may realistically be achievable before deciding whether you would like to explore that option further.
This resource is intended to provide general information and should not be regarded as legal advice. Rental legislation and individual circumstances can vary, and landlords should seek appropriate professional advice where required.