19 Feb 25
A tenant organisation claims landlords selling up is a good thing, despite the fact that it is fuelling the housing crisis and leaving tenants with nowhere to live.
A piece on the left-wing news website Left Foot Forward by Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, claims a landlord exodus would create a “more professional renting system”.
However, despite his claims, he does not provide any statistics on how many tenants would be affected by landlords selling their properties.
Claims private renters face worst quality homes
Mr Darling claims: “The idea that less supply of rented homes is bad has an intuitive power. It fits neatly with most people’s understanding of supply and demand.
“But the important thing to understand is that the rental market isn’t like other markets – it is part of a housing system that includes other tenures like owner occupiers and social housing.
“There are more than twice as many households renting in England as in 2000, yet despite the expansion in ‘supply’ of rented homes, rental affordability is the worst it’s ever been, with nearly two thirds of working renters struggling to afford their rent, and record homelessness, driven as well by section 21 evictions.
“Meanwhile, all the ‘investment’ we have seen from buy-to-let landlords has not significantly improved the quality of rented homes either.
“Renters face far worse quality homes than owners or social renters, with about one in 10 living in homes with a category 1 hazard, which pose the most serious risks to human health.”
Mr Darling fails to mention the English Housing Survey, which reveals the majority of renters (77%) ended their last tenancy because they wanted to move NOT because of eviction.
The English Housing survey also reveals that private tenants are happier with their homes than social tenants, with 82% of private renters saying they’re satisfied, compared to 74% of social renters.
Landlords threatening to sell
Mr Darling continues: “Would it be so bad if the private rented sector wasn’t so big? Consider, for a moment, that landlords did follow through on their threats to sell up.
“These homes are bricks and mortar. They don’t vanish when sold. Some houses would be bought by landlords (possibly larger and more professional landlords willing to comply with government regulations); others would be bought by first-time buyers, particularly if enough landlords sold to push house prices down – resulting in large numbers of people swapping renting for home ownership.
“More homes could – and should – be bought by councils and housing associations to provide desperately needed social housing, bringing down council waiting lists and costs and providing people with a secure home.”
Mr Darling does not mention that corporate landlords tend to charge much higher rents than buy-to-let landlords.
Many students tend to stay in privately rented accommodation as it is much cheaper than purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).
According to Save the Student’s National Accommodation Survey, the average monthly rent is £523 compared to nearly £600 for student halls.
No statistics to back up claims
Mr Darling continues to claim: “In short, a reduction in the number of landlords could be an opportunity for many of the people currently trapped in private renting to escape – and to help create a better regulated, more professional renting system.
“And by the way, that’s not to say this will actually happen. Despite the endless supposition that a landlords exodus is underway, and has been underway for some time, the size of the private rented sector has remained relatively consistent in recent years – statistics suggest it has even grown slightly.”
Mr Darling failed to provide any statistics to back up his claims. Numerous articles on Property118 have proved this is not the case with government figures revealing that a third of landlords (31%) intend to sell their rental properties within the next two years, up from 22% previously.
However, only 7% plan to provide new rental homes, down from 11% in 2021.
In Scotland, more than 22,000 homes have been lost from the private rented sector due to government rhetoric and rent controls.
