

Our Annual Review 2019
Key Points
• Demand for affordable accommodation highest ever
• Over 60,000 people applied to become property guardians, double previous year
• More than 600,000 residential and commercial buildings lie empty in the UK
• The private rental sector UK average monthly rent reaches £967, in London £1,694
• Property Guardians monthly license fees average £600, ranging from £190 in Darlington, to £1200 in Portobello Road
• Local authorities and property owners spend £100 millions to secure and repair vacant
buildings, targeted by vandals, arsonists and squatters
• Regulations designed for short-term assured tenancies are being inconsistently and
inappropriately applied to the guardian sector, restricting empty properties being put to good use
• PGPA members add affordable co-working spaces to their remit, with premises available from
£150 monthly licence fees.