Landlords leaving leading to more homes for sale?

At Intercounty, we care about the local property market in Chelmsford, and we stay in touch with what is happening nationally. There is no denying there is a shortfall in the supply of property right now, and this is having a major impact on the housing market.

However, a recent study suggests many landlords are looking to pull out of the rental market. This will impact the rental market, but going forward, it might have a positive impact on the supply of homes in the housing market.

Landlords have a lot to contend with

A survey conducted by The Mortgage Works offered the following findings:

• 52% of landlords with a property that requires improvements to meet new MEES regulations have considered selling

• 58% of landlords with between 6 and 10 properties have considered selling some or all of their properties

• For landlords with at least 20 properties, 63% of landlords have suggested selling all or some

• For landlords with one property, 35% have considered selling

Will this affect housing market?

Daniel Clinton, head of lending at The Mortgage Works, said: “With currently less than four years before all new tenancies need to be in properties rated EPC C or above, there are still landlords who need to undertake remedial work on at least one of their properties. They are therefore understandably concerned about how they will both fund the work, find someone to do it and have it completed in time. The side effect of these concerns is that a significant number of landlords admit they are ready to give up and already considering selling properties.”

Daniel Clinton concluded by saying; “An unintended consequence of this sentiment could result in a backwards step in meeting the government’s target around climate change, for example, if these properties are taken up by the owner occupier market, where there are currently no minimum energy efficiency requirements. Working with the sector to understand how best to help landlords improve the energy efficiency of their properties and the timeframe within which they can do this may ultimately lead a better outcome for everybody.”

Leading body has concerns about findings

Propertymark have also spoken out about these findings, adding their concerns to the mix.

Propertymark policy and campaigns manager Timothy Douglas said: “As domestic energy use accounts for 14 percent of overall UK emissions and 90% of homes in England currently use fossil fuels, improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s housing stock is one of the most significant challenges in reaching net zero emissions. If the alarming number of landlords who have considered selling up within the TMW report go on to do so, it will have a detrimental effect on not only the government’s ambitions to reach net zero, but also for the thousands of renters looking to be housed as stock levels deplete. In some parts of the market, this will put additional burdens on local authorities and increase demand for social rented housing as not everyone can afford to buy.”

If you plan on selling your Chelmsford home this winter, we are on hand to help. We have a strong track record in this area, and we look forward to assisting you as best we can.

For all sales enquiries in Chelmsford, please feel free to call us on 01245 251442 or why not email us at chelmsford@intercounty.co.uk. With considerable experience in the local housing market, and free valuation services, we look forward to helping you make an informed decision in the Chelmsford property sector