An increasing number of households are at risk of homelessness because more landlords are selling up, new data has revealed.
As many as 5,400 households in the private rented sector in England qualified for council support to prevent homelessness between October and December 2023 because their landlord decided to sell the property.
But, this figure climbed to 7,130 between April and June 2024, according to analysis of government data by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).
The organisation said this highlights the need to encourage more landlords to stay in the market.
Indeed, it said, the figures showed selling a property was the single biggest reason for a landlord to end a tenancy.
While the Renters’ Rights Bill will increase the time before a landlord can sell a property, the NRLA said more must be done to encourage responsible landlords to keep rental properties in the first place.
Government data shows that a third of landlords were planning to sell properties they rented out in the next two years, up from 22%. In contrast, just 7% said they were planning to provide new homes to rent in the next two years, compared with 11% in 2021.
But at the same time, said the NRLA, an average of 21 people were chasing every available home to rent.
The NRLA is calling on the government to reform the way rented housing is taxed to support and encourage the supply of new, decent quality homes on the market.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Right across the country it is tenants who are suffering as landlords decide to sell up.
“No amount of changing the rules about when landlords can sell will address the central problem in the rental market, namely a chronic shortage of homes to meet demand.
“What tenants need is greater choice. That means encouraging and supporting the vast majority of responsible landlords to stay and continue to provide decent quality housing.”
