A quarter of private landlords are looking to sell at least one property over the next year according to new research.

Of almost 2,500 landlords who responded to a survey by the Residential Landlords Association, just over 25% said that they were planning to sell at least one property over the next year, the highest proportion since the RLA started asking this question regularly in 2016.

The same survey shows that 23% of landlords report an increase in the demand for rental property over the previous three months, with 57% reporting it to be stable. Over a third of landlords reported low levels of confidence in the private rented sector over the next 12 months.

The results come following the publication of Government data earlier this year, which found that 10% of private landlords representing 18% of tenancies plan to decrease the number of properties they rent out, whilst 5% of landlords plan to sell all of their properties.

Amidst the rental home supply crisis that tenants now face, the RLA argues that it is vital that landlords retain confidence to provide the homes to rent that are desperately needed. This means ensuring that new regulations governing how landlords can regain possession of their properties in legitimate circumstances are fair and effective both for landlords and the tenants.