Government insists private rented sector remains stable after Renters’ Rights Act
12:09 AM, 19th June 2026, 14 hours ago
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The housing minister claims the size of the private rented sector remains stable despite landlords leaving the private rented sector (PRS).
In a written parliamentary question, Matthew Pennycook said the PRS “remains stable” and that the government will continue to monitor trends across the sector following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act.
The news comes as the government has launched a PRS data drive to track the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act.
Size of the PRS remains stable
Conservative MP Andrew Snowden asked: “What estimate has the government made of the number of landlords who have exited the private rented sector since July 2024?”.
In response, Mr Pennycook claimed the size of the PRS has not significantly changed and that the government has not carried out an assessment of the impact of the Section 21 ban on rental supply.
He said: “English Housing Survey 2024-2025 data, indicates that the size of the private rented sector remains stable at around 19% of households in England.
“My Department has made no specific assessment of the availability of rental accommodation since section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions were abolished on 1 May 2026.
“The latest Ministry of Justice official possession statistics, make clear that from January to March 2026, accelerated possession claims in England decreased by 12% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
“We continue to monitor trends across the private rented sector and are conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act. Evaluation reports will be published two and five years after implementation.”
22,000 households set to leave PRS
Despite Mr Pennycook’s claims, research by Pepper Money reveals an estimated 220,000 households are set to leave the PRS in England by the end of 2026.
More than 65,000 of those exits are tied to the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into effect on 1 May.
Research by property consultancy firm Allsop reveals two in five landlords are unlikely to continue letting homes following the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.
More than 41% of landlords said they are unlikely or very unlikely to continue letting, rising to 51% among single-property landlords, following the abolition of Section 21.
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Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 857
9:43 AM, 19th June 2026, About 4 hours ago
Just like Nelson then “I see no ships” is now “I see no change”.
Member Since May 2022 - Comments: 97
9:58 AM, 19th June 2026, About 4 hours ago
As a landlord of 30 years plus, I have never had as many enquiries from people who are losing their homes, because the landlord is now selling up.
It is all well and good “any” government “being seen” to do something but before doing so it should assess the consequences and ensure that both landlord and tenant have workable options and that there is, for all, a level playing field.
Attempts to grasp votes from numerically greater number of the electorate, by anyone, is doomed to eventual failure, leaving a mess for others to deal with.
Member Since January 2016 - Comments: 241
11:40 AM, 19th June 2026, About 3 hours ago
Poppycock really has got his head in the sand on this one. I’m surprised he didn’t trot out his usual “the PRS has doubled in size since 2002” nonsense – a meaningless statistic using selective dates.
Listen Poppycock – get one of your minions to spend a day or two browsing all the local Facebook pages across the country. The message from desperate would-be renters is the same – “my landlord is selling, there’s nothing available, and what is available is hugely unaffordable and the agents/landlords are being very very picky”
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 72
12:31 PM, 19th June 2026, About 2 hours ago
The stupidity of HM Govt and this Minister in favouring Blackro ck a massive US entity over all and any UK landlords. So all of the inflationary benefits of rising property prices go to a foreign entity that is desperate to get money out of the US and into stable property ie family homes in the UK. The UK Labour Govt are then facilitating this by Renter Rights Act, the exemption from stamp duty for over 9 propertys bought at the same time Chancellor Hammond foulness feathering his own nest and sacrificing the country.
Grow some balls and like President Trump ban companys from owning more than 350 homes. Whilst also requiring that Companys have to upgrade the property to EPC C before selling them by a fixed deadline or staged deadline over 3 years with ultimate beneficial owers and aggregated interest.
There is one thing that drives up househiold wealth and confidence and that is the one asset class that is required ie property. Wake up Labour and ReformUK this is getting urgent. They have hoovered up 350,000 already!!! Too much Too fast and too big and over here