Sell a house with tenants in it.
No eviction, no notice period, no void. We buy with the tenant in place across England and South Wales — single properties, HMOs and whole portfolios. Written offer in 24 hours, no fees.
You do not have to empty it first
The standard advice to a landlord who wants out is to serve notice, wait, get the property back, redecorate and then list it. That advice quietly costs you months of mortgage payments, the rent you stop receiving the day the tenant leaves, and the risk that the sale falls through anyway once the property is empty.
We buy tenanted. The tenancy transfers to us, the tenant stays, the rent continues to you right up to completion, and nobody has to go near a possession hearing. We take on the deposit, the agreement and the compliance obligations from the completion date.
Why tenanted property is hard to sell normally
Owner-occupiers cannot buy it
A residential mortgage requires vacant possession on completion. That single fact removes roughly the whole normal buyer pool from a tenanted property and leaves investors, who buy on yield rather than on how nice the kitchen is.
Ending the tenancy costs months
In England, a no-fault notice plus a court backlog can run to the better part of a year. In Wales it is longer again under the Renting Homes Act. Every month of that is mortgage payments on a property you have already decided to leave.
Void periods and lost rent
Emptying a property to sell means no rent from the day the tenant leaves until completion, plus council tax and standing charges falling back on you. Selling tenanted means the income continues right up to the day of sale.
Arrears and problem tenancies
A tenant who has stopped paying is the hardest situation to sell out of on the open market and the most expensive to sit with. We buy with the tenancy and the arrears position as it stands.
EPC and licensing changes
Minimum energy efficiency standards, selective and additional licensing schemes, and Rent Smart Wales registration have all raised the cost of staying a landlord. Selling to an operator who already deals with them removes the upgrade bill from your side.
HMOs and room lets
Licensed HMOs need a buyer who understands the licence, the room count and the local scheme. Ordinary residential buyers do not, so these properties sit on portals for months.
Portfolio exits
Selling five or ten properties individually through agents means five or ten separate chains, any of which can collapse. One buyer and one completion date ends the whole thing at once.
Section 24 and mortgage costs
Restricted finance cost relief for individual landlords combined with higher rates has made some previously profitable properties break even at best. Exiting quickly is often worth more than holding out for the last few per cent of value.
What to have ready
Tenanted sales are paperwork sales. Have the tenancy agreement or occupation contract, the deposit protection certificate and prescribed information, the current rent and payment history, the gas safety certificate, EPC and EICR, any licence for an HMO or selective licensing area, and copies of any notices already served. Producing those quickly is usually the difference between a two-week and a six-week completion.
Where we buy
Across England and Wales. Welsh landlords in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport working under Renting Homes occupation contracts and Rent Smart Wales registration make up a large share of the tenanted properties we buy.
Quick answers — selling a tenanted property
- Can a landlord sell a property with tenants in it?
- Yes. A tenancy transfers with the property, so a landlord can sell without ending it. The buyer becomes the new landlord and inherits the agreement, the deposit obligations and the rent. Vacant possession is only required if the buyer or their lender insists on it, which is usually the case with owner-occupiers.
- Is it harder to sell a house with tenants?
- On the open market, yes — most buyers are owner-occupiers who need the property empty, and residential mortgage lenders will not lend on a property with a sitting tenant. That narrows the market to investors and cash buyers, which is why tenanted properties sit unsold or sell at a discount.
- How much notice must a landlord give in Wales before selling?
- Selling does not itself require notice to the contract-holder, because the occupation contract continues with the new owner. Ending a standard occupation contract without fault is separate and requires six months' notice under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which cannot be served during the first six months of the contract.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my house with tenants still living in it?
Yes. A tenancy runs with the property, not with the landlord, so ownership can transfer while the tenant stays put. What you cannot do easily is sell a tenanted property to an owner-occupier, because they need vacant possession and their lender will insist on it. Selling to a buyer who wants the tenancy in place removes that whole problem.
Do I have to tell my tenant I am selling?
You do not need their permission, but you do need to tell them once the sale is agreed, because their rent will start going to a new landlord and their deposit has to be transferred into the new owner's protection scheme. Handling it early and openly makes the legal stage far smoother. Access for viewings still requires the usual notice.
What happens to the deposit?
It is either transferred to the buyer's deposit protection scheme or paid across at completion and re-protected by the new owner, with prescribed information reissued to the tenant. Your solicitor handles the mechanics, but you need the scheme details and the original prescribed information to hand.
The tenant is in arrears or I am mid-eviction. Can you still buy?
Yes. Arrears, a served Section 21 or Section 8 notice, or ongoing possession proceedings do not stop us. The relevant facts are what has been served, when, and whether a hearing date exists. Give us those and we will factor them in openly at the offer stage rather than discovering them later.
What about Wales and the Renting Homes Act?
In Wales, tenancies converted to occupation contracts in December 2022 and ending one properly now takes considerably longer than under the old rules. A standard no-fault notice under a standard occupation contract requires six months' notice and cannot be served in the first six months. That is why a growing number of Welsh landlords sell with the contract-holder in place rather than wait the process out.
Do you buy whole portfolios?
Yes. Multiple tenanted properties can be assessed together and completed on one date, which is usually simpler for both sides than selling them one at a time over a year.
Will you buy an HMO?
Yes, including licensed HMOs. Send us the licence, the number of lettable rooms, the current rent roll and whether the licence is mandatory or additional under the local scheme.
How long does a tenanted sale take?
Usually 7 to 28 days. Tenanted sales need the tenancy paperwork — agreements, deposit protection certificates, gas safety records, EPC, EICR and any notices served — and how quickly you can produce those is the main variable.
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