Record numbers of landlords selling homes

Record numbers of landlords are selling off homes according to latest research by the NRLA. 

Figures from the final quarter of 2024 showed more than a quarter of landlords, a total of 26%, had sold off at least some of their rental homes last year, building on the last record high of 25% recorded in the previous quarter.

And with the number of landlords investing in new rental properties at just 8%, the gap between the two figures is contuing to widen.

The increase in sales of rental stock and subdued investment in new homes is bad news for tenants, exacerbating the country's housing supply crisis, forcing rents up and making it harder for people to find affordable homes in the places they want to live.

Indeed, recent research from Oxford Economics showed only one in eight renters is able to purchase a home in the area in which they currently live, with the graph below serving as a stark reminder as to just how much things have changed in a relatively short period of time.

Alongside this, demand continutes to grow, with property platform Zoopla revealing the number of enquiries about every home to rent is currently 31% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with figures from the English Private Landlord Survey showing a massive 31% of landlords are currently planning to sell homes, up from 22% four years ago.  

It comes after NRLA analysis from the end of last year showed the number of households in the private rented sector at risk of homelessness due to landlords selling up has increased by a third since the end of 2023.

The findings of the quarter four survey will now be used to strengthen our arguments during campaigns work, stressing to Government the need for reform that is fair and workable and will encourage landlords to stay in the sector and continue to invest.

For all the latest NRLA data and analysis, visit our new-look research pages here.