EIG: tenanted auction sales hit 10.2% in H1

Essential Information Group has reported that tenanted homes made up 10.2 percent of residential auction sales in the first half of 2026, a level close to its pre-2024 pattern.

The new quarterly analysis puts the share at 9.9 percent in the first half of 2025 and 13.3 percent in the first half of 2024, when sales with sitting tenants briefly climbed. EIG says the 2024 rise was an unusual period for landlord disposals rather than the beginning of a sustained climb in sales with tenants in place.

The figures arrive as landlords work out whether to sell, retain or buy rental stock under the new rules. They show an auction market where a sitting tenant remains a viable route to sale, but not one that is seeing an immediate repeat of the 2024 disposal surge.

Tenanted sales return towards their earlier share

EIG’s Property Auction Insights for September 2026 compares the first half of this year with the same periods since 2022. It found that tenanted sales rose 21.8 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2024 and 48.4 percent in the third quarter, before dropping back during 2025.

The result is important because an investor can acquire an income-producing property without a gap between completion and letting. A seller can also keep receiving rent through the marketing period. That is a different proposition from seeking vacant possession before sale, particularly where a landlord has a tenancy that is otherwise running smoothly.

This follows Landlord Knowledge’s September report on EIG’s July auction figures, which found that residential auction sales had fallen 10.1 percent year on year and the national success rate had eased to 64.7 percent. The new half-year figures show a wider market with more homes finding buyers, but with tenanted stock settling back from its 2024 high.

Flats take a bigger role in auction stock

The report also records a growing role for flats. They accounted for 27.2 percent of residential auction sales in the second quarter of 2026, the highest share in EIG’s series, while flat sales were 18.1 percent higher than a year earlier. Almost half of flats sold at auction in the first half were priced below £100,000.

That can create an entry point for investors, although it is not a shortcut around due diligence. EIG identifies lease length, service charges, ground rents, cladding, building-safety requirements and major works as factors that can narrow buyer demand and affect mortgageability. A low hammer price can quickly lose its appeal if the legal pack or upcoming costs have not been checked.

Landlord Knowledge’s coverage of the latest possession-claims data has already shown how the first months of the Renters’ Rights Act are changing the operating backdrop. EIG’s report makes a more limited finding: it is too soon to attribute a lasting auction trend to the Act, and the share of tenanted sales should be watched over the next few quarters.

What this means for landlords

• If you are considering a sale: selling with a tenant in place can preserve income during the process, but the tenancy paperwork and compliance record need to withstand a buyer’s legal review.
• If you are bidding: read the legal pack, lease terms, service-charge history and any major-works information before treating a lower auction guide price as a bargain.
• Watch for: whether the 10.2 percent tenanted share rises again after more months under the Renters’ Rights Act.
• Bottom line: the 2024 spike in tenanted auction disposals has eased, while auction remains a route for landlords who want to sell or acquire rental stock.

Editor’s view
The useful part of EIG’s update is what it does not claim. There is no evidence yet that the Renters’ Rights Act has created a new wave of tenanted auction sales. Landlords should treat auction as a practical option, not as a substitute for checking the tenancy, legal pack and future property costs.

Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 16 September 2026

Sources: Essential Information Group Property Auction Insights
Related reading: EIG: residential auction sales fall 10.1% in July
 

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