Landlords are leaving the buy-to-let market at the fastest rate on record, with 562 properties per day exiting the private rental sector in Q3 2026, according to new data from TwentyEA, part of the TwentyCi group.
The figures, which cover data from 2016 onwards, show that 44,000 properties have left the sector so far this quarter. At the same point last year, the daily exit rate stood at 495; at the start of the decade it was 167.
The acceleration follows the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act, and shows no sign of slowing. Yet despite the scale of the landlord retreat, available stock for renters has edged up, not down. Supply increases, driven largely by the build-to-rent sector, are running ahead of demand, producing a marginal net rise in rental inventory.
Available stock has grown 1.3% on average over the past year, following years of decline, and has increased in ten of thirteen regions. The sharpest gain is in Wales, up 15.2% year-on-year, while Yorkshire and Inner London have each seen a decrease of 5.3%.
Growth is concentrated in the mid-market: stock in the £800-£1,500pm bracket rose 7% year-on-year. Higher price bands moved in the opposite direction, with the £1,500-£3,000pm bracket down 1.1% and the £3,000pm-plus bracket down 6.5%.
Supply of new properties to let has risen more sharply. Year-to-date, the number of UK properties newly available to let is up 118,100, or 13.6%, compared with the same point in 2025, reaching its highest level in seven years. Every price bracket has seen growth, with the strongest increases in the £0-£800pm range, up 14.5%, and the £800-£1,500pm range, up 16%.
Every region recorded supply growth with one exception: Northern Ireland. Wales posted the largest regional increase at 26.8% year-on-year, while Inner London recorded the smallest at 8.8%.
Demand has also strengthened. Lets agreed are 3.3% higher than in 2025 and at a seven-year peak. Growth is most pronounced at the lower end of the market: lets agreed in the £0-£800pm bracket are up 5.4% year-on-year, closely followed by the £800-£1,500pm band at 5.2%.
Wales again leads on a regional basis, with lets agreed 12.3% higher in 2026 than in 2025. Inner London is the only region where demand has contracted, with lets agreed down 2%.
Rental price growth has stalled. The average let agreed price is £1,475pm, up just £4 on the year, leaving affordability pressures largely unchanged. Prices have risen in the north, with the North West recording the highest regional inflation at 5.7%, but are broadly flat elsewhere. The East is the only region where prices have fallen, down 0.6%.
"The fallout from the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act shows no sign of abating," said Colin Bradshaw, chief executive of TwentyCi.
"Landlords continue to abandon the buy-to-let market in droves because regulatory and economic pressures mean business is no longer viable. What is really interesting is that despite this huge shift, stock availability for renters is actually rising. The build-to-rent sector is delivering new homes to rent at volume, and other factors are likely playing a part too.
"For example, larger, professional landlords who can weather the storm better will be looking for investment opportunities and restructuring their portfolios, and with fixed term tenancies abolished under the Act, existing properties are re-entering the market more frequently as tenants move on more quickly."
