Ask any landlord what keeps them up at night and void periods will be near the top of the list. That gap between tenancies when the property sits empty, the mortgage still needs paying, and the income has simply stopped. For most landlords it happens at least once a year. For many, it happens more often than that, and the true cost is almost always higher than it first appears.
This guide breaks down exactly what void periods cost UK landlords in real terms, why they happen, and the two models that eliminate them entirely.
What Is a Void Period?
A void period is any stretch of time when a rental property is unoccupied and generating no income. In traditional long-term letting, void periods typically occur between tenancies, when one tenant leaves and the next has not yet moved in. They can also happen during a tenancy if rent simply stops being paid, leaving the landlord in a difficult position without the legal ability to immediately recover the property.
Most landlords think of voids as brief inconveniences, a few weeks between tenants. The reality is often longer, and the costs run well beyond lost rent.
The True Cost of a Void Period
Lost rental income is the obvious cost. But void periods come with a stack of additional expenses that most landlords underestimate when they first calculate their numbers.
Lost rent. A two-bedroom city centre apartment in Coventry renting at £1,000 per month generates nothing during a void. A three-week gap between tenancies costs £750 in lost income alone. A six-week gap, which is not uncommon when the market is slow or a tenancy ends at a quiet time of year, costs £1,500.
Council tax liability. When a property is empty, the council tax bill typically falls to the landlord. Some councils offer a short-term exemption, but this varies by local authority and is rarely guaranteed. A landlord paying £150 per month in council tax during a void adds another £900 to the cost of a six-week gap.
Ongoing utility costs. Even an empty property consumes energy, including heating to prevent damp and frozen pipes during winter, electricity for security lighting, and standing charges on gas and water accounts. These costs continue regardless of occupancy.
Increased insurance costs. Most standard landlord insurance policies include terms around unoccupied properties. Some policies become void entirely if a property sits empty beyond a set period, typically 30 or 60 days, meaning landlords may need to arrange specialist unoccupied property insurance at additional cost.
Re-letting costs. Finding a new tenant costs money. Letting agent fees, professional photography for re-listing, cleaning and redecoration between tenancies, and any maintenance work required to return the property to a lettable standard all add up. A typical tenancy changeover costs landlords between £500 and £1,500 depending on the property and the agent.
Add these together and the true cost of a single void period for an average UK landlord is not £750 or £1,500 in lost rent. It is typically £2,000 to £4,000 or more when all associated costs are included. Over a full year, with one or two void periods, the total loss regularly exceeds £3,000, and in difficult markets, considerably more.
Why Void Periods Happen
Understanding why voids happen is the first step to preventing them. The causes fall into a few consistent patterns.
Seasonal demand. The rental market has natural peaks and troughs. Properties coming available in January or February, the quietest months for rental demand in most UK cities, typically take longer to let than those becoming available in September, when student and professional demand is at its highest. Tenancy end dates rarely align perfectly with market peaks.
Tenant behaviour. Even reliable tenants give notice at inconvenient times. A tenant who gives the required two months notice in November creates a void that spans the Christmas period, one of the hardest times to find a replacement. The landlord has little control over when a tenant decides to leave.
Arrears and the eviction process. Rent arrears do not create a void immediately. The property is occupied but generating no income. The time and cost involved in recovering possession through the courts has increased significantly in recent years. The average time to evict a non-paying tenant in England now stands at six to nine months, during which the landlord receives no rent and typically cannot find a replacement tenant. By the time possession is recovered, many landlords face both a void period and outstanding arrears they are unlikely to recover.
Maintenance and refurbishment. Properties requiring significant work between tenancies can sit empty for weeks or months while repairs are completed. A boiler replacement, roof repair or full redecoration can easily result in a four to six week void even when the property is in reasonable overall condition.
The Scale of the Problem Across the UK
Void periods are not a rare or exceptional event. According to the National Residential Landlords Association, around one in five UK landlords experienced rent arrears in the past twelve months, and that figure does not include landlords who simply experienced empty properties between tenancies without any arrears issue.
When void periods, arrears and eviction-related income losses are combined, the average annual cost to a UK landlord is estimated at over £3,000 per property. For landlords with larger portfolios, the cumulative impact is proportionally significant, and it compounds quietly over time, eroding returns that may look acceptable on paper but are far weaker in practice.
Two Models That Eliminate Void Periods Entirely
The good news is that void periods are not inevitable. Two property management models have been specifically designed to remove them, and both are available to landlords whose properties are suitable.
Guaranteed Rent
Guaranteed rent, sometimes called a company let or rent-to-rent arrangement, is an agreement where a professional management company takes on your property and pays you a fixed monthly amount regardless of whether the property is occupied. The management company takes on the void risk entirely. If the property sits empty for any reason, they absorb that cost. You receive the same amount every month, on the same date, for the length of the agreement.
This model is ideal for landlords who value certainty above everything else. The monthly income is lower than what a property might achieve during a strong period of short-let demand, but it is guaranteed, predictable, and requires no involvement from the landlord whatsoever. No chasing agents, no worrying about the market, no council tax liability during gaps, no re-letting costs. The income simply arrives.
Short-Let Management
Short-let management, where a professional company manages your property as a serviced accommodation or Airbnb-style short stay, takes a different approach to eliminating voids. Rather than accepting a fixed income, the management company uses dynamic pricing, multi-platform listing and active calendar management to keep occupancy rates consistently high throughout the year.
Professionally managed short-let properties in the UK consistently achieve occupancy rates of 68 to 75%, significantly higher than the 50 to 60% achieved by self-managed equivalents. At those occupancy levels, there are no meaningful void periods. Quiet nights exist, but they are built into the pricing model rather than representing unexpected income loss. And in strong periods, the property earns significantly more than a fixed long-term rent would generate.
A two-bedroom city centre apartment in Coventry renting long-term at £1,000 per month generates £12,000 per year, minus void periods, re-letting costs and maintenance. The same property run as a professionally managed short-let at £95 per night and 70% occupancy generates approximately £23,000 gross per year, or around £19,500 net after platform fees, before management fees and operating costs but with those typically factored into the model transparently.
Which Model Is Right for Your Property?
Both models eliminate void periods, but they suit different landlords and different properties.
Guaranteed rent suits landlords who want certainty, simplicity and zero involvement. The income is fixed, predictable and arrives without any management input from the landlord. It is particularly well suited to landlords who have had difficult experiences with arrears or difficult tenants, or who simply want to step back from the demands of active property management.
Short-let management suits landlords whose properties are well located for short-stay demand, including city centres, transport hubs, university towns, and areas with strong business travel or contractor demand. It works well for landlords who are comfortable with income that moves slightly with occupancy in exchange for a significantly higher ceiling in strong periods.
Not every property suits short-let management. Properties in suburban or rural locations with limited short-stay demand, or properties with mortgage or lease restrictions that prevent short-term letting, may be better suited to the guaranteed rent model. A good management company will tell you honestly which model fits your property rather than simply pushing whichever product earns them more.
Eliminating Void Periods With Sora Luxury Stays
At Sora Luxury Stays, we work with landlords across Coventry, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands through both models, and the first conversation is always about which one actually suits your property, not which one suits us.
If you want certainty, our guaranteed rent model pays you a fixed monthly amount regardless of occupancy, with full property management included. If you want to maximise income from a well-located property, our short-let management service handles everything, including photography, pricing, guests, cleaning and reporting, so you receive a monthly payout without any day-to-day involvement.
We are a fully registered UK limited company, Company Number 17230649, verifiable on Companies House, and we offer a free, no-obligation valuation for any landlord interested in either model. The conversation takes around fifteen minutes and we will always give you an honest picture of what your property could realistically achieve, whichever route suits you best.
Find out what your property could earn under guaranteed rent.