Nearly three in ten properties put up for sale in Lincoln in 2026 were previously rented out, as landlords exit the city's student-heavy rental market. Estate agents report that owners who once found buyers easily are now struggling to attract interest.
Figures shared with The i Paper by estate agency Hamptons show that 29% of properties listed for sale in Lincoln in 2026 had previously been available to rent. That proportion is among the highest in England, with only much larger cities such as London and Manchester recording higher levels.
West End hit hardest
The trend is especially visible in Lincoln's West End, where more than 100 properties were listed for sale along West Parade, a road stretching roughly a mile. Local estate agent Darren Beckett said landlords who previously had no trouble finding investors are now struggling.
He told The i Paper: "Now I ring up and they're not interested – they can't rent the ones they've got."
Mr Beckett said the Government's approach to landlords was pushing some owners away from the rental market, adding: "The Government is squeezing landlords and they just think 'there's no point, there's better investments'."
Student housing competition
One challenge facing landlords is the growing number of purpose-built student accommodation blocks offering facilities that older shared houses often cannot match. Mr Beckett explained that students increasingly have access to en-suite bathrooms, communal areas and other amenities.
This marks a major change for Lincoln, where the opening of the University of Lincoln's Brayford Pool campus in 1996 helped transform the local property market. The university has grown from around 500 students in 1996 to more than 15,000 today, bringing significant demand for accommodation.
Tax and regulation pressures
Landlords are also facing changes to taxation and rental regulations. Chancellor John Healey announced in his October Budget that income tax rates on rental earnings would rise by two percentage points from April 2027, taking them to 24%, 44% and 49%.
The changes follow major reforms under the Renters' Rights Act in May, which ended no-fault evictions and fixed-term assured tenancies. Lincoln also has planning restrictions on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), with permission required to convert ordinary homes into shared accommodation.
Some landlords are now converting shared rental properties back into single homes before putting them up for sale, according to Mr Beckett.
Impact on tenants
David Fell, an analyst at Hamptons, warned that landlords leaving the rental market could make life more difficult for tenants. He told The i Paper: "While sales by landlords can be good news for first-time buyers, for the remaining renters, they tend to mean higher rents and make it more difficult to find somewhere to live."
The Government has disputed suggestions that landlords are leaving the rental market in large numbers. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "There is no evidence of large numbers of landlords leaving the private rented sector." The spokesman added that the Renters' Rights Act gives tenants greater protection against excessive rent increases and bans rental bidding wars.
