The PRS landlord crisis isn’t about us selling – it’s about us not buying!

Why would someone want to BTL properties now? There are lots of risks and no real gains.
In addition, if you buy personally, the rental profits BEFORE interest are added to your other income and can adversely affect your ability to get child credits, personal allowances, the amount of student loan repayments, ability to get free childcare, as well as being taxed at 60+ if you are a 40% taxpayer.
This is before you even start to look at all the administration, costs, licensing, MTD, potential to be hit by high fines for innocent errors, defaulting tenants, inability to rent for 12 months if you try and sell but can’t, etc!!!

Extremely well said.
I have long held this view. As we get older and decide to retire at the top who is replacing us at the bottom. Twenty years ago when I started mortgages were more readily available, mortgage cost could be offset, stress tests were fair and extra stamp duty was an absurd thought. For a medium to long term investment bricks and mortar made sense. The 2008 crash meant my properties were worth less than they were when I purchased them, but the rent still outweighed the mortgage.
Sit tight with my monthly income and wait for the value to come back.
Now not only is it harder to buy, but with all the extra costs the time to realise any return on your investment runs into years.
If I was starting again I absolutely wouldn’t put that money into property there are many other investments that offer better returns and far less stress.
As you say the big problem is not the landlord leaving but rather the landlord never starting.
So many things have gradually been heaped upon us and it’s become a complicated business. Sadly I don’t believe there is a magic bullet. We are all going to have a ringside seat as which ever Government it is suddenly realises the problem with rental properties is not landlords but rather the lack of landlords. I might move into selling “I told you so!” merchandise.

I read recently something about how the majority of new builds in the past were bought by landlords, and since new build volumes had dropped over the past couple of years (Labour government!), BTL mortgage applications had dropped in direct corrolation (not exact words but you get the gist).
My Partner’s 25 year old son was due to exchange on his second BTL this week; 2-bed house. Price was right, good condition, location 2 minutes away, no mortgage, high demand for lower rent properties… but the solicitor made such a big thing about the source of his funds (loan repaid to Mum, who was then gifting it to him), that it gave him an opportunity to reconsider whether another BTL was the best use of ‘his’ money. We had a good chat about the RRA, and how it was likely to affect that level of property more than his other 4-bed house let to a lawyer earning £500k pa. He decided to pull out and invest in stocks & shares, ISA, pension. The buyer asked why, and we pointed to the solicitor’s AML overreach. He complained to the solicitor who then decided they didn’t need all the personal financial information they had demanded after all. Too late. Commonsense had prevailed and another 2 beds lost due to the RRA.
Going off on a bit of a tangent, solicitor’s AML demands are becoming a major challenge, especially where source of funds is not always straightforward. The HMRC requirements are pretty straightforward, but some solicitors have gone to unnecessary extremes just to cover their backsides. This time, it bit them in their backside. I had the same problem sending money to my son in Dubai for a property purchase. The company I wanted to use did the same thing, which was causing me a huge amount of wasted effort. So I moved to a company who was less demanding.

Both Labour and Conservative Governments have designed and adopted policies to wipe out the Private Landlord .
Claiming they are helping tenants by driving Private Landlords out via Taxation, out rageous fines, and Regulations .
I cannot see how Tenants are to benefit if there is nothing to rent.

I gave this interview on 15th April, 2019.
https://youtu.be/6cctEG4sv6Q

Since then the situation has gone backwards!

I sold up to non-landlords so properties lost to the PRS.
30+ years was enough lol

When Judith sold up it was to non landlords.
When I sold up non landlords predominantly purchased.
It’s the same story!

Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 19/09/2026 – 13:16
I remortgaged with the intention to let my house in London and buy elsewhere, but then the S24 implications became apparent. I couldn’t repay the loan because of early repayment costs, so I kept my home empty for nearly 2 years, until I sold at a much higher profit. With rent at £30k pa, plus a high mortgage, salary, and 40% tax, S24 could have bankrupted me. I sold to a retired couple who had moved to the Cotswolds and wanted a (4 bed) London pad. No CGT, no hassle!

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 19/09/2026 – 14:58
It’s great (for the government) that you have to pay tax, even if you make a loss after interest costs!

For Government this is not even about us not buying. This is about a changing of the guard. Corporate buyers and build to rent properties are replacing smaller PRS landlords. It depends which studies you believe as to whether that’s at a greater or lesser rate than we’re leaving, but this was always the Gov’t plan.