The rules have changed but we haven’t stopped selling properties

The abolition of Section 21 has undoubtedly changed the rental landscape and the way landlords approach selling their properties.

In England, using Section 8 to regain possession now means navigating a tangle of rules with lasting implications. Landlords need to understand these before serving notice –  particularly the restrictions on re-letting or marketing the property for rent after using the selling ground, where offences can lead to financial penalties of up to £40,000.

Many landlords facing issues such as missing paperwork, below-market rents, licensing complications or other compliance concerns convince themselves they have no option but to wait for their tenants to leave because they fear any attempt to regain possession could become a lengthy and uncertain legal process.

The Renters’ Rights Act is designed to give tenants greater security, making it harder for landlords to regain possession. Landlords pursuing vacant-possession value may face a maze of notice requirements, court proceedings and restrictions if tenants do not leave voluntarily.

On top of the legal requirements for serving notice correctly, there is also the risk of retaliation to consider – while the majority of tenants don’t react maliciously, some tenants stop paying rent when they are faced with eviction, some damage property or leave the place in a mess.

Instead of evicting tenants or waiting for them to leave, selling with tenants in place offers another route: accepting a slightly lower sale price can mean avoiding court altogether, with the difference partly offset by savings on legal fees, lost rent and the costs of an empty property.

Looking after good tenants

One landlord came to us recently with a tenant whose rent had not been increased for years and was significantly below market rent.

They turned to us to make sure that everything was in place before starting the process, that everything was done correctly and in the right order to avoid compliance issues surfacing later, delaying the sale, prompting disputes with the tenant or causing the buyer to pull out.

Instead of evicting the tenant, we talked to them and established that the tenant was willing to pay more rent to stay in situ so found a cash buyer looking for turnkey investments from our database of 30,000 investors, owner occupiers and new landlords. Then we got to work making sure the deal worked for everyone.

Having us coordinate the conversation helped keep it constructive, explain each party’s position clearly and find an arrangement everyone was comfortable with so the incoming buyer was happy to buy the property without disturbing the existing tenant.

The tenant kept their home, the buyer acquired a viable investment at a sensible yield, and the seller achieved the clean exit they wanted.

But it didn’t stop there – the buyer wanted to complete in 28 days once their offer was accepted. Landlord Sales Agency chased solicitors, answered their queries and solved any issue anyone threw their way to make it happen, just as requested.

We know that sellers don’t complete transactions, buyers do. That’s why we put so much emphasis on looking after buyers throughout the process, helping them solve problems, stay engaged and reach completion, because when buyers are happy, our sellers are far more likely to achieve the outcome they want.

A genuine win-win-win for everybody.

Eviction isn’t the only option – even when tenants don’t leave

With the rules changing, it pays to explore your options before taking steps that could create unnecessary costs or complications.

A Nottingham landlord approached us to sell two properties. At one, the buyer required vacant possession. A Section 21 notice was served, but the tenant remained after it expired and possession proceedings followed.

The landlord agreed to receive £106,000 from the sale — around 81.5% of their own £130,000 estimated value and 88.3% of our £120,000 estimate, based on comparable local properties that had sold or remained unsold and a realistic price to achieve a sale within 30–60 days — with us coordinating the work needed to get the sale through.

We continued working with the tenant alongside the legal process, helping them arrange alternative accommodation and agreeing a £500 contribution towards relocation. This offered a practical way forward without relying solely on possession proceedings.

The difference between the seller’s agreed amount and the buyer’s purchase price covers our remuneration and the costs of the solutions we arrange.

In this case, that was helping the tenant with their moving expenses in return for their full cooperation and voluntary surrender allowing us to find a buyer and avoid the costs, delays and consequences of eviction.

We do more than other estate agents

Finding a buyer is only part of selling a rental property. With a conventional estate agency sale, tenancy and compliance issues may not come to light until solicitors get involved, when they can cause delays or even collapse the sale, wasting everyone’s time and money.

At Landlord Sales Agency, we check the tenancy paperwork and compliance position before progressing the sale and work to resolve any gaps. If something else emerges during conveyancing, we make it our job to find a solution and keep the sale moving.

And because we secure sales with a non-refundable reservation deposit within 24 hours of an offer being accepted, buyers also commit to giving us time to resolve any issues that arise, rather than simply pulling out.

After trying several estate agents and seeing previous buyers unable to proceed, the owners of a property in Maidstone turned to Landlord Sales Agency.

We secured a buyer in just over four weeks, with their reservation deposit paid 32 days after marketing began.

We chased outstanding legal information, coordinated paperwork and kept the sellers informed as the buyer’s mortgage deadline approached. The sale completed seven months after the buyer was secured.

For the sellers, having someone on top of the details made all the difference:

“After trying with multiple estate agents we finally tried Landlord Sales Agency! They sold the property first time and were helpful and professional throughout the sale. They were on top of it at all times and left me feeling in good hands with less stress! Would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting a straight forward sale of their property”

Eviction isn’t the only option – even when tenants don’t leave

Whether you want to sell one property, part of your portfolio or your entire portfolio, Landlord Sales Agency can help you explore your options.

There’s no need to evict your tenants first or put your plans on hold waiting for them to leave.

You don’t have to work through the red tape and rules yourself. And you don’t have to risk running empty property for 16 months or more.

Leave it to the experts. All you need to do is contact us and let us take the strain.

And, if that’s not already a huge selling point, when a property is sold with tenants remaining in place, landlords continue collecting rent until completion, rather than facing the costs of an empty property.

When you factor that into the equation, you quickly realise that the headline price isn’t the only thing that matters.

Contact us using the form below to arrange a free, no-obligation chat and find out how we could help you navigate the rules and turn equity tied up in property into cash in the bank so you can enjoy Christmas with greater confidence in your sale and look forward to putting your plans for 2027 into action.