Landlords in the UK are facing steep rises in property maintenance costs, with average annual spend now reaching £1,374, according to new research by Towergate Insurance.
This figure includes both routine maintenance and repair work, but damage-related costs alone have risen sharply – increasing by 121% since 2022, from £473 to £1,043 in 2024.
Edinburgh landlords are the hardest hit, with average maintenance costs of £2,952 per year. Newcastle (£1,632) and Glasgow (£1,622) follow behind.
Theft-related damage is now the most expensive issue for landlords, with average repair costs of £1,128 a year.
Southampton tops the list for theft-related expenses, with landlords spending an average of £1,875.50 annually. Leeds (£1,477) and Liverpool (£1,445.82) are also among the worst-affected cities.
Fire and heatwave-related damage rank as the second and third most costly categories, while common issues such as roof damage, broken windows and mould continue to feature among the top 10 most expensive repair jobs.
The study also reveals a sharp rise in disputes between landlords and tenants over repair responsibilities. Nearly 60% of landlords (59.8%) report having had such disagreements – a significant increase from 48.5% in 2022.
Despite the rising financial risks, the research found that 3.8% of landlords in the UK still operate without insurance.
With over 2.82 million landlords across the country, this equates to more than 107,000 property owners who could be exposed to major repair costs. A further 4% said they had no intention of purchasing landlord insurance.
