How landlords exiting the rental market, can achieve a high offers and sell quickly even when the market is slow and flooded with similar properties.
Market Changes: The Renters Rights Bill and Rising Costs
Changing legislation, interest rates, maintenance costs and shifting market dynamics. It’s no wonder many UK landlords are choosing to sell parts or all of their property portfolio. I’ve spoken with many landlords who have feelings of uncertainty, loss of control, suffering from mortgage increases and are feeling the pinch. For some, they’ve said its just not worth it or profitable enough to keep going. Landlords are selling up and exiting the market – this news is not new. As a result, the market seems flooded with these types of properties and you can spot them a mile off in property portals and at auction. Empty, tired, white walls with drab carpet, perhaps in need of some attention – none really standing out above the other and suffering from long periods on the market and price reductions.
Learning More About Legislation
With the new legislation coming in, it’s important to get up to speed with the new changes. As an ex-landlord myself, I recently attended a seminar on The Renter’s Rights Bill, hosted by Rob Whisson from Belvoir Evesham. One key message for landlords looking to sell was once a tenant has been given notice to leave and has vacated a property, landlords will not be able to re-rent for 12 months (there goes your Plan B) and here comes the need to sell quickly.
So the next headaches for landlords to work out are:
- How do I sell quickly AND still achieve a high market value to capitalise on my investment?
- How do I avoid a lengthy sale process?
- How expensive are my ongoing financial commitments (mortgage, council tax, utilities) if I sell without tenants in situ?
- How do I avoid long periods on the market and avoid price reductions?
- How am I going to find time to get my property market ready?
If you’re asking yourself these questions, read on…
Case Study: Project Rowley Regis
The client, a private landlord based in Rowley Regis, West Midlands, recently decided to sell their remaining rental property to pursue a new life in Australia. The client struggled to remove the tenants. After 6 months of legal proceedings, the tenants were evicted by court order in March this year. The property itself was sound structurally, but was tired from years of renting and personal effects and rubbish had been left behind. The Tenants had pets and smoked in the property – honestly, the initial impression wasn’t positive. The overwhelming smell of dog hit me as soon as I opened the porch door – a major turn off for buyers!
Identifying Maintenance Issues For The Landlord
The site visit produced a number of maintenance issues that needed attention to bring the property back into order for sale. When selling, you want to reduce the buyers “to do” list as much as possible – because these are reasons for someone to offer low.
My recommendations included decorating throughout, deep cleaning to get rid of bad odours, roof maintenance, property clearance, gardening, bathroom re-grouting etc and of course the recommendation to stage the property to attract buyers and demonstrate the property’s true value and potential which helps buyers see the property as their next home.
Landlord Instructs
After presenting the site visit report, the client instructed us to carry out the work. My trusted team and I set to work addressing the issues. Duncan from FAB Tiling and Property Maintenance addressed all the maintenance issues, the decorator got cracking, roofers replaced the missing ridge tiles and I must have cleaned those carpets at least 3 times to get the smell out! Once all the work had been completed on time and on budget, it was looking good as new! As the property was empty, the last thing for us to do was stage it for sale to create an atmosphere, help the property STAND OUT and have it market ready for Connells estate agents to list.
The Final Result For The Landlord
The property was listed on property portals at the end of May 2025. It attracted many viewings in the first weekend, resulting in several over asking offers and some buyers asking for the staging inventory to be purchased alongside the sale – praise indeed! This property sold £5,000 over asking in the first weekend. A great result for the client.
Summary
If you are a landlord looking to sell off your stock and you want to sell quickly:
- Address the maintenance needs
- Refresh the paintwork
- Tidy the garden and frontage – first impressions start at the door
- Address any smells
- STAGE IT FOR SALE. Don’t leave the property looking unloved and empty
- Work with a great agent
- Price correctly
The Landlord’s Review
“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sarah and her team. We needed our property tidying up and staged before sale after a long term tenancy. She has exceeded our expectations with seamless project delivery, peace of mind and an amazing end result. Works included; painting and decorating, re-grouting, deep cleaning, gardening, re-pointing of brickwork and staging for sale. Communication has been fantastic throughout – thanks so much!!”
Want some help?
If you are a landlord and you want some help turning your ex-rental into a sales magnet, GET IN TOUCH