More than six in 10 landlords are planning to raise rents over the next 12 months, according to new research from Pegasus Insight.

The findings come amid reports that the chancellor is considering a year-long rent freeze in the private rented sector.

Pegasus Insight’s Landlord Trends Q1 2026 data found that 61% of landlords are planning to increase rents in the next 12 months, with 75% of those landlords linking the decision to the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The research suggests that any move to freeze rents would cut across pricing decisions already being shaped by forthcoming regulatory change, as well as wider cost pressures facing landlords.

Mark Long, founder and managing director of Pegasus Insight, said: “A rent freeze would represent unprecedented intervention in the private sector, thwart the business plans of the majority of landlords and potentially force some out of business.

“Landlords are not setting rents in a vacuum. Many are already factoring in the impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill, alongside higher costs, and that is feeding directly into pricing decisions.

“Introducing a rent freeze into that environment could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for those already struggling to balance the books.”