Timing is everything when selling your property portfolio

Timing is everything, from knowing when to buy, when to hold and when to sell, and the same can be said for selling your property portfolio.

We know because we are landlords ourselves, so we know the market is tough right now.

We’re a company founded by landlords for landlords, made up of some of the UK’s top portfolio exit specialists who know exactly what it takes to overcome the problems associated with selling buy-to-lets.

We solve problems, no matter what they are, but we also know that selling a property portfolio isn’t always as simple as deciding to sell everything in one go.

Timing is everything, and you may not want to sell all your properties at once.

You might want to keep hold of your best financially performing properties while selling those that are no longer working as hard for you. You might want to release equity from part of your portfolio, reduce borrowing or simply scale back without leaving the market altogether.

Or you might decide the time has come to sell everything.

The point is, you have options. And, given all the changes that have already affected landlords as well as those to come, landlords should be reviewing their portfolios on a regular basis and adjusting the shape and nature of their assets in accordance with the direction of travel the PRS is taking.

Something that made perfect sense ten or fifteen years ago may look very different now. Mortgage rates, tax rules, insurance, maintenance and compliance costs have changed, while increased regulation can add both expense and workload.

It means looking at the whole picture: what properties earn, how much equity is tied up in them, whether the ownership structure still makes sense and what may need spending on them over the next few years.

Compliance should also form part of the review. As enforcement increases, it isn’t only ‘rogue’ landlords who can run into trouble. A missed licence renewal, expired certificate or incomplete record can become a much bigger issue once a council, tenant or other authority raises it.

Some properties will still earn their place in your portfolio. Others might be better refinanced, improved, restructured or sold – freeing their equity to be put to better use elsewhere.

And once you’ve identified a property you would rather sell, timing matters again. That’s where Landlord Sales Agency can help.

A slower market doesn’t mean you have to take the risk of evicting tenants before you know whether you can achieve a price you’re happy with. We specialise in working with tenants, not against them, so you can test the market while they remain in place and continue receiving rent throughout the sales process. If we don’t secure an offer you’re happy to accept, there are no selling costs to pay, no unnecessary void period and no 12-month re-letting restriction triggered by evicting a tenant in order to sell.

We know that the last thing landlords need are properties sitting unsold for months. Overpriced listings chasing unrealistic expectations. Deals falling through. Time being wasted.

We specialise in selling properties fast, sealing the deal early and doing more than any other company to make sure deals complete with fewer risks and more certainty so landlords can unlock the equity tied into their properties faster and smarter.

We have an extensive private database of over 30,000 buyers who will buy your properties with or without tenants and get text messages to alert them to new properties every time a landlord comes to us to sell.

We dramatically cut down the time it takes to sell, and you can continue collecting rent all the way up until the actual sale.

Our buyers are a mix of new landlords, experienced investors, first-time buyers and owner-occupiers and even tenants themselves, meaning that whether you’re selling with or without tenants, we can explore different routes to find the right buyer.

It also means we’re able to focus on getting you the best possible price rather than automatically pushing every property down the same sales route.

You won’t get a higher price for the service, and any company promising you 100% market value is hiding a huge list of costs that are going to come after the sale. That’s not the case with us. It’s what makes us different.

And sometimes, timing really can work in everyone’s favour.

If you have long-term tenants who love the property and would like to stay, selling the property to them could be the perfect solution. You get the exit you want, while your tenants get the opportunity to own the home they already live in.

It isn’t always as straightforward as simply asking the tenant whether they would like to buy. They may believe they can’t afford the deposit or that getting a mortgage will be impossible, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the conversation.

We’ve developed a specialist process, working with experienced lenders and solicitors, and instead of helping tenants move, we have helped more and more tenants to buy the property they already live in themselves.

And our landlords are loving it! With one landlord commenting: “I wanted to look after my long-term tenants because they have always been great tenants but I’ve had enough of the red tape and I hate the direction the PRS is heading. I wanted to exit in a way that my tenants would be looked after.

“I offered them first refusal but they couldn’t raise the deposit quickly enough so I turned to Landlord Sales Agency to sell without disturbing them.

“As soon as they learned the tenants would love to buy, they found a specialist lender and made it happen. We’re all delighted and couldn’t have done it without them!”

However, we know selling to the tenant won’t be an option for every landlord or every property, which is why we always have a Plan B.

If the tenant can’t or doesn’t want to buy, we can explore our other routes. We don’t rely on one buyer, one sales method or one outcome.

We explore the options, find the route that works for the property and keep things moving.

September is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for property sales, with investors returning from the summer holidays looking to complete purchases before the end of the year.

Now is an ideal time to decide what properties you want to sell.

With widespread opinion that house prices will not grow over the next three years (and may even fall), together with so many plans in the pipeline for the end of 2026, 2027 and 2028 including Making Tax Digital, the Private Rented Sector Database and Ombudsman scheme, the 2% tax rise already scheduled for property income, the revised Housing Health and Safety System (HHSRS) and minimum EPC standards – there’s nothing to gain by waiting any longer for “the right moment” and potentially lots to lose.

Don’t wait for a change in circumstances to force your decision. Make it now from a position of choice and control.

Contact Landlord Sales Agency today for a free, no-obligation chat and let us help you sell the right properties, to the right buyers, at the right time.