The pace of residential landlords selling up has fallen 18.6% year on year despite the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA), new data from estate agency Hamptons has shown.
In its latest report, Hamptons revealed that 9.2% of homes listed for sale in June across Britain were previously advertised for rent within the last five years, down from the 11.3% of homes listed for sale in June 2025.
This is also down from the 23.4% of homes listed for sale in June 2021, although Hamptons said 2021 marked the first tax year in which some landlords lost full mortgage interest tax relief.
In London, 20.3% of homes listed for sale in June were previously advertised for rent, down slightly form the 20.9% reported in June 2025, and the 23.4% in June 2021.
The first phase of the RRA, which includes the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, came into force in May after securing royal assent in October 2025. While the RRA is intended to give more rights and powers to tenants, many critics have warned it could lead to a rise in landlords exiting the market.
However, according to the report, the slowdown in landlord sales has been driven by three main factors, the first being that many landlords seeking to exit have already done so following market and regulatory challenges dating back to 2016.
The report states: “The RRA has been a long time coming, and most landlords who wanted to leave the sector because of it have probably already done so.
“While the new rules may have encouraged some landlords to sell, the bigger shift has come from years of tax changes and higher mortgage costs, which have gradually reduced the number of landlords in the market.”
It also attributes the slowdown to a slower sales market, with properties taking longer to find a buyer, as well as greater financial impacts from failing to sell.
Hamptons’ analysis of homes listed for sale by landlords in 2025 revealed that 51% failed to sell. This rose to 60% for flats.
“June marked a turning point for rental supply, not because landlord buying has risen but because landlord sales have fallen back,” the report adds.
“Landlords accounted for a relatively muted 10.2% of all purchases in June 2026, while previously rented homes made up 9.2% of homes listed for sale. This means that, for the first time since 2019, the share of homes bought by landlords exceeded the share of homes sold by them.”
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