WIREDGOV

New Government data continues to show that landlords selling up is the biggest single reason for tenants losing their homes and needing council support. 

The figures come amidst ongoing speculation about potential tax hikes on the sector in next month’s Budget that risk exacerbating the rental supply crisis. 

According to the data, between April and June 2025, 6,700 households in the private rented sector in England qualified for help from their council to prevent homelessness after their landlord decided to sell the property. This figure is three times higher than the next most common reason for the end of the tenancy. 

Ahead of the Budget, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is warning that the data highlights the dangers of potential tax changes which put off investment in the long-term homes to rent that tenants need. 

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said:

“Every landlord who decides to sell a property leaves renters facing uncertainty about where they will next call home. 

“Renters needs responsible landlords to stay in the market for the long term, providing the decent quality homes that the vast majority already do. The Chancellor must recognise this basic fact and avoid tax hikes which would serve only to exacerbate the housing crisis for millions of renters across the country.”

Notes:

In April-June 2025, the end of a private rented Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) was the most common reason for households being owed a homelessness prevention duty, accounting for 13,430. The most common recorded reasons households were owed a prevention duty due to the end of an AST were related to: landlord wishing to sell (6,700) or relet the property (2,320). See here. 

Further information about the NRLA can be found at www.nrla.org.uk.  It posts on X @NRLAssociation.

The NRLA’s press office can be contacted by emailing press@nrla.org.uk or by calling 0300 131 6363.