England’s 4.7-year tenancies raise the compliance cost of every missed repair and expired certificate

The number landlords should focus on is 4.7 years. That is now the average private tenancy length in England, according to TDS Charitable Foundation research based on more than 2,000 renters. There is no new law here, but there is a clear operational consequence: when tenants stay longer, the legal and financial cost of weak paperwork, delayed repairs and poor maintenance planning rises sharply.

Longer tenancies turn minor gaps into bigger risks

The private rented sector is functioning more like long-term housing. The research found 44% of renters expect to rent for life, while 76% still want to buy. It also found 51% want to move but feel unable to, and 47% struggled to find a suitable property last time they searched.

For landlords, especially in London, that means more occupiers are likely to remain in place through several years of wear, repeat repairs and changing household needs. A missing document or unresolved defect is no longer likely to disappear at the next reletting; it can sit inside the tenancy for four or five years.

The law has not changed, but the exposure has

This research creates no new statutory duty. Landlords still need to comply with the same core rules: annual gas safety checks, an EICR usually every five years in most private rented homes in England, a valid EPC where required, correct deposit protection and prescribed information, Right to Rent checks, and ongoing repairing obligations.

What changes is the risk profile. If a gas record is missing, deposit paperwork is incomplete or repair history is poorly logged, that weakness can become much harder to unravel in year four than in year one.

File quality matters more when tenancies last longer

A longer tenancy puts pressure on record-keeping. Documents created at move-in may need to be produced years later, especially if management has changed, a landlord uses multiple agents, or the property sits in a mixed portfolio.

The immediate priority is to audit every active tenancy file and confirm:

• tenancy start date
• deposit protection reference
• date prescribed information was served
• latest gas safety record
• EICR date
• EPC status
• Right to Rent records
• inspection and repair logs

A dispute over disrepair, deposit deductions or possession is harder to defend when the paper trail from the start of the tenancy is incomplete.

Reactive maintenance is not enough for a five-year occupation

Longer stays also change how landlords should budget. Boilers, bathrooms, extractor fans, flooring, sealant, windows and decoration all take more strain when there is no regular void period to reset the property. In London, where labour and replacement costs are high, waiting for failure is often the most expensive option.

The practical shift is simple: budget for a five-year occupation, not a one-year one. That means scheduled inspections, clear repair reporting channels, dated photo records and planned replacements before key items become urgent.

Requests linked to health or disability need formal handling

The TDS findings also point to a more pressured tenant base, with stronger demand for social housing among older renters, benefit recipients, households with children and people with long-term health conditions.

That does not create a new standalone obligation, but it does make existing legal risks more important. If a tenant raises an accessibility issue, asks for an adaptation or reports a problem linked to a health condition, treat it as a formal management and compliance issue. Casual refusals and undocumented conversations create avoidable risk.

What landlords should do now

Within 30 days: audit every occupied tenancy file for gas, electrical, EPC, deposit and Right to Rent records.

At the next inspection: review the property for items likely to fail during a multi-year occupation, particularly heating, ventilation, damp risks, bathrooms and flooring.

Before the next quarter-end: set a planned maintenance budget based on longer stays rather than assumed turnover.

R&S can help by reviewing your tenancy files and maintenance processes to spot the compliance gaps that become most expensive when a tenant stays for five years, not one.