More and more tenants are needing council help to find new homes after being evicted by a landlord preparing to sell the property, new analysis of official data has revealed.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says those tenants ‘put at risk of homelessness’ - to use the official term - following the sale of their home has risen by almost a fifth since the beginning of 2024.
According to the government data, between October and December 2024 some 5,500 households in the private rented sector in England qualified for council support to prevent homelessness after their landlord decided to sell the property.
The most recent data shows that, between January and March this year, the number had increased to just over 6,500 - an increase of 19 per cent.
The NRLA says this rise is evidence of more landlords selling up as wave after wave of extra regulation and taxation has hit them in recent years, and is urging the Government to encourage – rather than discourage – investment in the private rented sector.
“For millions of renters across the country, whether a landlord sells a property or not will decide the fate of where they live,” says Ben Beadle, its Chief Executive (main image).
“Landlords selling homes is disastrous for tenants. Even if properties sold end up back in the rental market, that’s scant comfort for those who have been forced to move as a result.
“In the Autumn Budget the Chancellor needs to support responsible private landlords to invest in new decent quality, long term homes to rent that tenants desperately need.”
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