A quarter (26%) of landlords plan to cash in on at least one property this year, potentially putting half a million homes up for sale, according to new research by landlord insurance provider Simply Business.

The survey of 800 landlords revealed that with uncertain market conditions, (82%) of landlords are not planning on buying any more properties in 2020. Just one tenth (13%) said they would buy another property this year, while a third (35%) also reported a decrease in their rental yield in 2019.

The top reasons landlords gave for wanting to sell are tax increases and government reform, such as changing rules to House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing, which added new stipulations on the minimum size of rooms, as well as banning of admin fees.

Other reasons that landlords gave for planning to sell include rising rental costs, cashing in on their investment, economic instability and slowing house price growth.

Looking ahead to this year, over a quarter (27%) of landlords expect to see a further decrease in their rental yield in 2020. One in five (18%) expect to see a decrease of 0-5%, and a further 6% of landlords expect to see a decrease of 5-10%. Only 2% of landlords expect to see a decrease of 10-15%. However, half (52%) are still optimistic and expect their rental yield to increase in 2020.