Rather than starting this landlord checklist with legislation, let’s start with the local market.
- £1,279 average monthly private rent in Solihull in August 2026.
- 3.2% the annual increase in Solihull rents.
- £1,099 average monthly private rent across Birmingham.
- £1,262 average rent for a three-bedroom property in Solihull.
- £1,877 average rent for a Solihull property with four or more bedrooms.
They’re useful numbers, but they also demonstrate why a genuinely local rental assessment matters.
Our area stretches across Solihull and into Birmingham, and the rental dynamics can change substantially within a relatively short distance. What works for a town-centre apartment may bear little resemblance to the market for a family home in Shirley, Knowle or Dickens Heath, or a property towards Acocks Green, Sheldon, Yardley or Hall Green.
September is a good time to look at yours.
1. Benchmark your rent against the right market
Don’t ask, “What’s the average Solihull rent?” Ask, “What are tenants currently paying for a property like mine in this part of the area?”
ONS figures show just how wide the variation is. In Solihull, August averages ranged from £858 for a one-bedroom property to £1,877 for homes with four or more bedrooms. Flats and maisonettes averaged £1,016, compared with £1,811 for detached homes.
And move into Birmingham, and the overall average changes again to £1,099 per month. That’s why postcode, property type, presentation and tenant audience all matter.
Get a local rental review for my property
2. Make sure your tenancy reflects the 2026 rules
England’s private rental system changed significantly on 1 May. Existing ASTs largely moved to assured periodic tenancies, new private tenancies use the periodic model, and Section 21 has been abolished.
For self-managed landlords, this is a good reason to review your processes rather than simply filing the change away as “legal stuff”.
Can you quickly locate the tenancy records? Are your compliance documents current? Do you know which process now applies if you need to increase the rent?
Under the current statutory process, rent can generally be increased once a year, and at least two months’ notice is required using Form 4A.
3. Check the property before the temperature drops
Autumn maintenance isn’t glamorous, but it can protect both your property and your relationship with the tenant.
Pay particular attention to heating, boilers, gutters, drainage, roofs, window seals, ventilation and early signs of damp or condensation. If the tenant mentioned a small issue during summer, now is a good time to revisit it.
A £100 repair today can sometimes prevent a far more expensive problem later.
4. Review your costs as well as your rent
Landlords naturally focus on monthly rental income. But the more useful figure is what the investment is actually producing after maintenance, finance, insurance, tax, void periods and other costs.
Take the opportunity to review the last 12 months. Which costs were one-offs? Which keeps recurring? Is there preventative work worth doing? Has the rent kept pace with the local market?
This is also where local knowledge matters. Solihull’s average house price reached £337,000 in July 2026, compared with £234,000 in Birmingham.
Two properties only a few miles apart can therefore have very different investment profiles.
5. Decide whether you still want the landlord’s second job
Finding a tenant is one part of being a landlord. Managing the tenancy is everything that comes afterwards.
Rent collection. Repairs. Contractor calls. Compliance dates. Tenant questions. Records. Rent reviews. Arrears if they occur. Keeping track of regulatory changes.
If you’re happy doing all of that yourself, there’s no reason to change simply for the sake of it. But if you originally chose Let Only because it suited you at the time, that decision doesn’t have to last forever.
Already have a tenant? We can still help
You don’t necessarily need an empty property or a new tenancy to talk to us about management.
If you’re currently self-managing a property across Solihull or the Birmingham areas we cover, we can start with a straightforward review.
We’ll look at the property, current rent and tenancy setup, then explain which parts Martin & Co Solihull could manage for you.
You can then decide whether handing over some or all of the day-to-day work makes sense. That’s the point of good local advice.
Not simply knowing the average rent for Solihull, but understanding your street, your property and what you’re trying to achieve from it.
