The government has admitted it does not know how many landlords have left the rental sector since 2020, raising questions about how ministers can assess the impact of their policies on housing supply.
Matthew Pennycook, Housing Minister, was asked in Parliament how many landlords have exited the buy-to-let sector each year since the beginning of the decade. His response was stark: “My Department does not hold the information requested.”
Pennycook did point to HMRC data showing the total number of unincorporated landlords declaring rental income in 2023-24 was 2.86 million. However, this figure does not reveal how many have left or joined the sector year-on-year.
Industry reaction
Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and former RICS residential chairman, said the admission was surprising.
“It is surprising that the Government does not appear to have data concerning the number of landlords who have been, or are considering, exiting the buy-to-let sector,” said Leaf.
“Without recourse to such records it must be difficult to assess the efficacy of the Renters’ Rights Act, as well as other regulation and its wider impact. Or maybe what agents are finding is happening on the ground is not particularly palatable to the Government or an endorsement of its policy?”
Leaf added that the impact extends beyond landlords: “It’s not just about landlords, of course, but the impact on tenants and disruption to their lives of having to leave sometimes very comfortable accommodation at relatively short notice and the difficulty of replacing it at anything like similar rent.”
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s reporting on regional supply concerns, which found a third of landlords selling up ahead of the Renters Rights Act. Industry bodies including Propertymark have consistently warned that landlord exits are shrinking the private rented sector, yet the government appears unable to verify these claims.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re considering exiting: Your decision will not be tracked in any official government dataset – but industry surveys are capturing the trend
- Watch for: The new landlord database under RRA may finally give government visibility of sector size changes
- Bottom line: Policy is being made without basic data on whether it is working
Editor’s view
You cannot manage what you do not measure. The government is pushing through the most significant rental reform in decades while admitting it cannot track whether landlords are staying or leaving. When ministers dismiss concerns about landlord exits, they do so without data to prove their critics wrong.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 23 March 2026
Sources: Parliament (Written Question), HMRC
Related reading: Third of landlords sell up as RRA triggers regional supply squeeze
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