Ex-rentals for sale soar as landlords flee Labour’s crackdown

Latest data from TwentyCI shows the number of former rental properties for sale has hit a 10-year high

kremer signs homes for sale

The number of ex-rental properties for sale in central London has hit a 10-year high as landlords flee Labour’s threatened crackdown.

The latest figures show that in July, 22% of all newly listed homes for sale had been available to rent in the last decade, according to analytics firm TwentyCi.

A total of 8,006 former rentals were put on the market, compared with 4,055 (15.6% of the market) in July 2023 and 2,664 (12.9%) in July 2019 – the last ‘normal’ year before the pandemic.

However, the number of previously rented homes listed for sale across the UK was just 9% of the total in July 2024, underlining that the trend is highly concentrated in the capital.

Fears of possible CGT rise

“Aside from mortgage increases, landlords have growing fears around a possible rise in Capital Gains Tax and compliance demands for energy efficiencies,” said TwentyCi CEO Colin Bradshaw.

“Overall, the rental sector has become much more expensive and unpredictable for landlords over the last decade.”

He said the number of properties available to rent was at its lowest level since TwentyCi began recording data 15 years ago, and now stood at 276,000 in July 2024 for the whole of the UK, compared with 369,000 in July 2019 – a fall of more than 25%.

“Landlords selling now obviously comes at a very difficult point for the private rented sector (PRS),” he added.

The average asking rent across the UK based on the available stock is £1,869 per month, while in central London it is £2,399.


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