With most of us having spent at least some part of our adult lives in rented accommodation, it’s fairly common knowledge that landlords come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, ranging from the “bit of a legend” types through those truly dislikeable, draconian monsters. If you’re a landlord, you may or may not be concerned with what your tenants think of you, but it certainly doesn’t do any harm to have them onside. After all, when it comes to timely rent payments, keeping properties in good condition and generally being well behaved, your tenants are much more likely to do all three if they think you’re a decent and fair character.
In the modern game, one of the most prominent distinctions between landlord types is that of the hands-on versus hands-off landlord. Being one over the other doesn’t necessarily make you a better or worse landlord, but one would suggest a hands-on approach will keep you immersed in your properties, engaged with what’s going on and more accessible to tenants, all of which are good things, generally speaking.
But what does a hands-on approach consist of, why might it benefit you and how can you enact it?
Defining hands-on versus hands-off
Your typical hands-on landlord makes a full-time job of their investment. Using this approach, you’ll generally want to be involved in every aspect of your property and wider investment, doing things like finding new properties, sourcing tenants, conducting viewings, collecting rent, dealing with property admin and being the point of contact for tenants. Naturally, a hands-on approach makes property investing and letting your 24/7 (not 9-5) job rather than just a side hustle, so it demands a significant commitment from you.
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Hands-off landlords, meanwhile, are more looking to reap the financial rewards of property ownership without dealing with the aggro of the administration behind it. This means handing the management of your properties over to a letting agent or property manager that’ll do all the hard stuff for you. It’s the route a lot of wealthier investors who use property investment as a side-project take, and for those without the time and energy to burn, it’s a pretty ideal solution.
The benefits of being a hands-on landlord
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So, why would you want those stresses and administrative duties on your plate if you can just palm them off onto someone else? A fair question, but one that has plenty of attractive answers:
Maximise profits: by handing over administrative duties to a letting agent or property manager, you will have to pay your dues. Doing all the graft yourself might make being a landlord your job rather than something on the side, but it does mean your margins will be much healthier for it.
Control and visibility: a lot can go on behind the curtain in property letting. Your tenants might be hiding damage from you, for example, or there might be a project or repair that your letting agent isn’t as proactive on as you’d like them to be. By taking a DIY approach, you’ll know exactly what’s going on in your properties at all times and be able to respond promptly and effectively without having to worry about any nasty surprises.
Enjoy a better relationship with your tenants: A hands-on approach means you are the point of contact for you tenants. That gives them a face to your name to work with and a more human approach that cuts out the middle man. Better communication between you and your tenants can only be a positive thing, and you might see they treat the property, and you, better for it.
Make it your passion: if you enjoy being a landlord over your current role, why not make it your job and your passion project? It’s a demanding line of work, but if you enjoy it, then taking it on full time, along with all the other benefits that come with it, is a sound move.
What you’ll need
If you’ve bought into the hands-on sell, the next step is to think about what you need to effectively carry out the role. That includes:
Being able to fully commit to the role and efficiently carry out your duties.
The desire and understanding to deliver a reliable, respectful and business minded service to your tenants.
A full understanding of your responsibilities in absence of a letting partner.
A full understanding of the legalities attached to property management.
An appropriate skillset to carry out maintenance tasks within your properties – and knowing when to call for professional help.
If all of the above hasn’t put you off the idea of becoming more involved with your property portfolio, then a hands-on approach might well be for you. If not, the hands-off, stress-free approach is always there. Just remember, whatever path you choose – it’s always better to be legendary than loathsome.
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Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
Millions of UK workers to get pay rises from today as National Living and Minimum Wage increases
Emily Sergeant
Millions of workers across the UK are set to begin receiving substantial pay rises from today.
After the Government announced back in November that it would take the recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission, and increase both the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, those changes have now come into force in a bid to ensure people on lower incomes are ‘properly rewarded’ for their work.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Low Pay Commission, it’s an independent body made up of employers, trade unions, and experts whose role is to advise the Government on the minimum wage.
As mentioned, the rate recommendations introduced today were agreed unanimously by the Commission.
This means that the living wage, for eligible workers who are aged 21 and over, has now risen by 4.1% from today to £12.71 an hour.
For a full-time worker, that means a pay increase of £900 a year.
Millions of workers in the UK are getting pay rises from today / Credit: John Kakuk (via Unsplash) | Pexels
The National Minimum Wage rate for workers aged 18 to 20-year-olds has also increased today by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour, and then for 16 to 17-year-olds, and those on apprenticeships, the rate has increased by 6% to £8 an hour.
“The recommendations we made last autumn sought to balance the need to protect the economy and labour market, whilst providing a real-terms increase for the lowest-paid members of society,” commented Baroness Philippa Stroud, who is Chair of the Low Pay Commission.
“A lot has changed since we gave our advice to the Government last autumn, and we are now beginning to gather evidence for recommendations later this year.
“The current economic uncertainty makes it essential that the Commission hears from those affected by the minimum wage and builds consensus for evidence-based recommendations.
Workers aged 21 and over are now legally entitled to the National Living Wage after the age threshold for the highest rate was lowered from 23 in 2024.
National Minimum Wage rates are available to workers aged 16 upwards.
The Manc -
1st February 2021 
