Landlords abandoning historic UK city – ‘there’s no point’

Detailed summary

The situation is particularly noticeable in Lincoln's West End, where more than 100 properties were found listed for sale along West Parade, a road stretching roughly a mile.…

Landlords are selling up in a historic UK city where growing numbers of former rental properties are being put on the market, with some owners struggling to find buyers. Lincoln, once a popular destination for property investors, has seen a rise in homes previously rented to students being listed for sale. The city's rental market grew rapidly as its university expanded, attracting landlords hoping to make money from students and young professionals. But changes to the market, alongside higher taxes and tighter regulations, have left some owners looking to sell.

According to figures shared with The i Paper by estate agency Hamptons, 29% of properties put up for sale in Lincoln in 2026 were previously available to rent. The figure is among the highest in England, with only much larger cities such as London and Manchester recording higher proportions.

The situation is particularly noticeable in Lincoln's West End, where more than 100 properties were found listed for sale along West Parade, a road stretching roughly a mile. Local estate agent Darren Beckett said landlords who once had no trouble finding investors to buy their properties are now struggling to attract interest.

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 also pushing some owners away from the rental market.

He added: "The Government is squeezing landlords and they just think ‘there’s no point, there’s better investments’." One of the challenges 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 accommodation with en-suite bathrooms, communal areas and other facilities.

This is a big change for Lincoln, where the opening of the University of Lincoln's Brayford Pool campus in 1996 helped transform the local property market.

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