The number of landlords in England has dropped by 1.04%, with individual landlords driving the decline – a trend expected to accelerate as the Renters’ Rights Bill approaches, new reserach shows.
Using the latest government data (released August 2025), the reserach carried out by Dwelly found that 2.86 million landlords declared rental income in 2023/24, down from a five-year peak of 2.89 million in 2022/23. Most of the fall came from individual landlords (down 0.7%), while the number of joint ownerships remained unchanged.
The dip follows a year of growing financial and legislative pressure, including higher energy efficiency requirements and tax reforms.
Wales saw the largest annual drop in landlord numbers at -2.7%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West (both -1.6%). Northern Ireland and the North East fell by -1.5%, and the South East by -1.3%. London was the only region to see growth, up 0.4% to 474,000 landlords.
Dwelly warns that so-called “amateur” landlords are most at risk of exiting the sector as the Bill moves forward, with the abolition of Section 21 evictions and wider tenancy reforms likely to raise compliance burdens for individuals operating without professional support.
Sam Humphreys, head of M&A at Dwelly, commented: “Such a significant shake-up is inevitably going to push some landlords from the sector and our analysis suggests that it’s the nation’s amateur landlords who are most likely to call time when the Renters’ Rights Bill comes into force.
“This is down to the fact that they simply don’t have the resources to pivot with such monumental changes and it’s understandable given all they have had to contend with following previous legislative changes.
“At Dwelly, we’ve been working hard with our letting agents to ensure their operational processes are as streamlined and cost-effective as possible. This in turn ensures that the landlords they service benefit to the same extent, reducing the workload associated with managing their portfolios and tenants while improving their profit margins.
“With the right support and technology, landlords can adapt and thrive despite the challenges of the Renters’ Rights Bill and we would urge even the most amateur of landlords to work with their letting or managing agent to see how they can help lighten the load.
“A daunting period awaits, but for those who can weather the transition, the buy-to-let sector remains a profitable endeavour.”
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