Selling rental property can be like trying to work out what comes first: The chicken or the egg?

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Property118

Selling rental property can be like trying to work out what comes first: The chicken or the egg?

Should you evict or wait for a tenant to leave, then sell? Or sell first to find out if you even need vacant possession?

In the past, landlords could be forgiven for assuming selling with vacant possession was the obvious answer. After all, an empty property usually appeals to a wider range of buyers and can sometimes achieve a higher sale price.

However, as reasons to exit the PRS have become more urgent, more and more landlords are prioritising a faster exit over a slightly higher sales price.

Because the moment a tenant leaves, the rent stops. Mortgage payments continue. Insurance continues. Maintenance continues. Council tax may become payable. If the property needs work before sale, additional costs follow.

This is particularly relevant under the new Section 8 Ground 1A possession process. If possession is obtained on the basis that the property is being sold, landlords need to be confident that they can finance their vacant properties for at least 12 months from the date the tenant leaves.
If you market, re-let, or even list a property on a short-term let site like Airbnb during those 12 months, it is a criminal offence or carries an automatic civil penalty up to £40,000 and councils now have greater enforcement responsibilities under the Renters’ Rights Act.

A Different Approach

Selling first and evicting second (if necessary) allows landlords to see what genuine buyers are prepared to pay for the property with the tenant in place.

Sometimes the difference between a tenanted sale and a vacant possession sale is surprisingly small.

When landlords compare that difference with the costs of obtaining possession and carrying an empty property for months, selling with the tenant in situ can become a very attractive option.

Our role is to help landlords understand the options available and choose the route that delivers the best overall result.

That might mean selling with the tenant in situ. It might mean agreeing a sale first and then arranging vacant possession (which we take care of) later. Or it might mean pursuing a completely different strategy.

What matters is finding the solution that works best for the landlord, the tenant and the buyer – a win-win-win solution.

• For sellers, that means always getting the best result possible.
• For buyers that means proactively, collecting all the information and providing all the help they need to complete in 56 days or less.
• And for tenants, that means either staying in place when we find an incoming landlord or helping them overcome the obstacles they may be facing in finding a new home so that voluntary surrender is always a better option for them than being served a possession notice.

Even landlords who have already gained vacant possession are turning to us when they realise the cost of running empty property and want a faster, more reliable sale.

As well as advertising properties on the most popular property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla, we work in combination with trusted local agents to advertise property locally and have an extensive database of over 30,000 active, chain free buyers looking to purchase anything from a single property to a full portfolio, allowing us to quickly match you with the perfect buyer.

We have a one-stop shop team of experts, builders and legal assistants to ensure even the most complicated sale completes and we secure offers from the moment an offer is accepted to prevent buyers pulling out after a sale is agreed.   We’re also completely transparent – we don’t promise the highest price at any cost. We don’t sign you up for unrealistic values that leave your properties sitting on the market for months, even years.

We focus on the best achievable price that actually completes. And it works. On average all our properties sell in less than 28 days.

Sellers can sit back and dream about ways to spend the equity that is currently tied up in their properties, knowing we’re doing everything anyone can to find them the BEST deal possible.

So, if you’re a landlord looking for straight talking and the hardest working team there is on your side; talk to us today and start planning your tomorrow with added confidence.

We’re confident you’ll be pleased you did.

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How the tenancy pet trap leaves landlords financially exposed

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Property118

How the tenancy pet trap leaves landlords financially exposed

If you want to understand exactly how the Renters’ Rights Act is going to restrict private landlords of control over their own property, look no further than the story this week about a tenant named Ms A and her pet cat, Marshy.

Property118 reports that the tenant wanted a cat in her one-bedroom flat; the landlord initially said no; a charity stepped in, challenged the refusal and the landlord ultimately accepted the request.

For me, this case reveals a new reality for the private rented sector because what campaigners present as a straightforward victory also exposes the imbalance in the protections available to the two parties.

Property size remains relevant, but landlords can no longer rely on a blanket rule. They must relate the size and nature of the animal to the particular property.

The charity involved countered the ‘too small’ reason by stating that ‘sweeping generalisations’ regarding property size are legally non-compliant.

If a tenant requests a pet, you can no longer reply with casual, practical logic.

The moment you type only ‘the flat is too small’ or ‘I don’t think it is suitable’, without explaining why that particular animal is unsuitable for that particular property, you risk an immediate challenge.

A restriction in a superior lease or a documented allergy in a shared home may provide strong grounds, but the legislation does not give landlords a simple checklist of guaranteed exemptions.

Pet tenancy negotiation

The most worrying part of this story, however, is what happened when the landlord tried to negotiate.

Wanting to mitigate their risk, the landlord requested two reasonable conditions: that the tenant purchase pet damage insurance, and that they commit to a professional deep clean at the end of the tenancy.

The charity’s response was that both conditions would amount to prohibited requirements under the Tenant Fees Act.

While early drafts of the Renters’ Rights Act teased landlords with the right to mandate pet insurance, that provision was quietly axed before Royal Assent.

And under the Tenant Fees Act, a landlord cannot ask a tenant to buy a pet insurance policy, impose a separate pet fee or require the tenant to enter into a cleaning contract.

Requiring a prohibited payment can attract a civil penalty of up to £5,000. A further qualifying breach within five years can lead to prosecution or a thumping financial penalty of up to £30,000.

In theory, a landlord can recover reasonable cleaning costs where an inventory and check-out evidence prove an actual loss – but actually recovering the full amount may be a different story, particularly where the damage exceeds the deposit and the tenant has limited means.

Landlords carry the pet risk

Landlords are left relying on a deposit generally capped at five weeks’ rent, which may be nowhere near enough to meet extensive flooring, furnishing or odour damage.

If a cat decides to use the carpets as a scratching post or spray the floorboards, the cost of remediation will demolish that deposit, leaving the landlord to foot the bill.

To me, it looks like the law has shifted a substantial share of the practical financial risk from the pet owner to the property owner, leaving landlords to rely on their own insurance, the limited deposit or a potentially difficult claim against the tenant.

The other shame here is that the Labour government promised to ‘level the playing field’ between landlords and tenants.

We knew that wouldn’t be the case but the one-sided tilt in favour of renters is becoming clearer by the week.

Although landlords retain legal claims for pet damage, those rights may be expensive to enforce and worthless where the tenant has no recoverable assets.

The law has clearly strengthened the tenant’s position without giving the landlord an equivalent, readily usable financial safeguard.

If you own a leasehold property, check your superior lease immediately. The Renters’ Rights Act explicitly protects landlords bound by head-tenancy pet bans.

Just note: if your lease allows pets with freeholder consent, you must actively apply for that consent before you can legally turn your tenant down. Find out where you stand before a request lands.

Beyond that, refusals still stand if you can tie them to the specific animal and property: type, number, welfare or a genuine allergy in a shared building.

Welcome to the new age of being a landlord in the PRS, where the tenant gets the companionship, the charity gets the PR victory, and the landlord gets the repair bill.

Until next time,

The Landlord Crusader

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Right to Rent guidance too long claims Propertymark

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Property118

Right to Rent guidance too long claims Propertymark

An industry body is urging the Home Office to simplify Right to Rent guidance for landlords and letting agents.

Propertymark is calling on the government to provide a shorter checklist for landlords, arguing that the current Right to Rent guidance is “too long”.

Right to Rent rules were introduced in England under the Immigration Act 2014. They require landlords to verify the immigration status of potential tenants before a tenancy begins, ensuring they have the legal right to live in the UK.

Right to Rent guidance is too long

The government has published a draft Right to Rent code of practice, which proposes tighter checks by requiring landlords to confirm that any Digital Verification Services (DVS) used to carry out online checks are officially certified.

The draft also updates references to eVisas, making clear that prospective tenants should not be treated less favourably based on how they evidence their right to rent, whether by using an eVisa and share code via the Home Office online checking service or by using original documents where these are permitted.

Propertymark has said that with more information being added to Right to Rent checks, it is becoming harder for letting agents to manage day-to-day compliance.

In response to the government’s Right to Rent consultation, the industry body said: “Agents told us that the Right to Rent guidance is too long, and taking into account additional guidance, such as the one mentioned above on the avoidance of discrimination, means that there is a significant amount of information that agents need to know.”

One Propertymark member agent from Romford said: “The current guidance being 77 pages is quite a lot for something staff need to use practically day to day. A shorter quick-reference version or checklist alongside the full guidance would probably make it much easier for both landlords and agents to follow correctly.”

It added: “Although we agree that detail is required to ensure that the law is adhered to and that those completing right to rent checks know their full responsibilities, a short, easy-read guide for daily use would be welcomed.”

Agents are the ones carrying out checks

The industry body also says a simplified version of the guidance, such as a flowchart or questionnaire, would allow those carrying out checks to click through and receive answers based on the information they input.

Propertymark says letting agents need more support as they conduct Right to Rent checks.

One agent told Propertymark: “The guidance is written mainly for landlords, but in reality, agents are often the ones actually carrying out the checks.

“It would be helpful if there was a section that was a bit more agent-focused, particularly around responsibilities, record keeping and what happens when the landlord has asked the agent to carry out the checks on their behalf.”

The news comes as, under the Renters’ Rights Act, it will be illegal for landlords and letting agents to discriminate against prospective tenants who receive benefits or have children, with fines of up to £7,000 for breaking the rules.

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Landlords release £2.37bn to fund property improvements

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Property118

Landlords release £2.37bn to fund property improvements

Landlords released £2.37 billion from their properties to fund improvements last year, a 60% from 2024’s figure of £1.48 billion.

Paragon Bank’s analysis of industry data found the money was released across 14,817 remortgages during 2025, compared with 9,754 a year earlier.

It said the increase coincided with landlords preparing for further requirements under the Renters’ Rights Act.

Part of the cash was to fund the proposed application of the Decent Homes Standard to privately let properties.

Leveraging BTL borrowing

The lender’s managing director of mortgages, Louisa Sedgwick, said: “These figures reveal how landlords are strategically structuring their buy to let borrowing, leveraging the considerable amounts of equity they have built across their portfolios to finance property improvements.

“The timing of the increase in equity withdrawn for property improvements suggests that the Renters’ Rights Act is a driver, but landlords will also benefit from likely increases in the value of their investments and the additional appeal to tenants.”

Sedgwick added: “Our earlier research revealed that almost six in 10 landlords don’t get their EPCs assessed after undertaking works to make their properties more energy efficient.

“Not only could this lead to ambiguity around compliance with any new MEES but could also mean that they’re missing out on preferentially priced green finance products.”

Landlords spend £8,500 on improvements

Previous research by the bank found that 44% of landlords focus on properties that need work, spending an average of £8,500 on each one.

The most common improvements are new boilers, updated kitchens and bathrooms, and repairs for damp or structural issues.

Separate research found that four in 10 landlords plan to refinance this year, which rises to 57% for landlords with portfolios of four or more properties.

Paragon said brokers could see more finance demand to help pay for proposed Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, so homes meet an EPC rating of C or above by 2030.

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