Something is happening quietly across Hertfordshire that will affect anyone looking for a rental home this year. Landlords are selling up and leaving the private rented sector in growing numbers.

Not because they have made a killing and want out. Not because house prices are irresistible. They are leaving because the system has made being a landlord, particularly one with a difficult tenant, so costly, so slow, and so draining that selling has become the only rational option.

Broxbourne offers a stark example of what is now playing out across the county. But make no mistake. This is not just a Broxbourne story. It is happening in Welwyn Hatfield, East Herts, North Herts, Three Rivers, Hertsmere, Watford, and beyond.

In recent weeks, we have spoken to several Hertfordshire landlords who have sold, or are desperately trying to exit, before new legislation makes it even harder. They asked to remain anonymous, not out of shame, but because many are still entangled in legal processes and fear retaliation.

Their stories share the same grim pattern. Months of unpaid rent, thousands in legal fees, damaged properties, and a system that seems designed to delay rather than resolve.

A Broxbourne landlord told us they fully refurbished their flat before a tenant moved in. Within months, the property was badly damaged. Kitchen units torn apart, holes in walls, ruined carpets.

They served notice because they wanted to sell and downsize. Instead, they were told the tenant was “high priority” for council housing and should remain in place. Later, the council advised the tenant not to leave.

The landlord rushed to issue a Section 21 notice before it was abolished. Over a year later, they were still waiting for bailiffs while paying mortgage, insurance, and repairs, but receiving no rent. Their total loss exceeded £15,000.

These are not rogue landlords. These are people who followed the rules, went to court, won their cases, and still waited months while their properties deteriorated.

In Hertfordshire, the eviction timeline typically looks like this.

Two months’ notice.
Court application, £391 plus legal fees.
Six to eight months waiting for a hearing.
Possession order.
Eight to twelve weeks for bailiffs.

From start to finish, 12 to 15 months is now normal.

During that time, most landlords receive no rent, yet must still pay their mortgage and maintain the property. For many, that is financially ruinous.

Councils have a legal duty to prevent homelessness. But in practice, this often means advising tenants to stay put until bailiffs arrive, because leaving early could make them “intentionally homeless.”

This effectively turns private landlords into unpaid providers of temporary accommodation. It saves councils money, but shifts the cost onto landlords.

Broxbourne Borough Council told us it works constructively with landlords, has expanded its Simple Lets scheme, and offers rent guarantee insurance and free inspections. Those steps are welcome, but they do not solve the core problem of slow courts and lengthy evictions.

Notably, the council did not directly answer whether it tells tenants to “stay put” until enforcement. Many landlords see this silence as revealing.

The Renters’ Rights Act, passed in 2025, abolished “no-fault” Section 21 evictions for most tenancies. From June 2026, landlords must prove specific grounds to evict and still go through the same slow court process.

Many landlords did the maths in late 2025 and concluded they had to get out now or risk being trapped with a bad tenant indefinitely.

Possession claims spiked by 40 percent in the final quarter of 2025. Bailiffs in Hertfordshire are now booking enforcement into late 2026. Thousands of landlords decided the risk was simply too high.

One Broxbourne landlord sold in November. The buyers moved in themselves, meaning one less rental home for the borough.

Every landlord who sells to an owner occupier reduces rental supply. Every investor who stays but raises rents to price in risk makes housing less affordable.

Hertfordshire already struggles with limited rental stock. The county is not building enough homes, especially not enough affordable ones, to replace what is being lost.

The people hit hardest will be key workers, young professionals, families saving for a deposit, and those earning too much for social housing but too little to buy.

Walk through Wormley, Hoddesdon, Cheshunt, Welwyn, Watford, or Hemel and you will see former rentals now “For Sale.” Behind each board is a landlord who reached breaking point and a tenant facing a tougher market.

There are bad landlords, and they should be punished. Tenants deserve protection from unsafe homes, harassment, and illegal evictions.

But the current system treats all landlords as suspect, whether they are exploitative or simply trying to recover a damaged property after a year of unpaid rent.

The Renters’ Rights Act was designed to protect vulnerable tenants. That goal is right. But policy has unintended consequences. When it becomes nearly impossible to remove problematic tenants, ordinary landlords decide it is safer to leave altogether.

And who suffers? Not the worst tenants. They will eventually be rehoused by councils. The real losers are good tenants who now face fewer homes, higher rents, and fiercer competition.

Hertfordshire needs a system that works for both sides.

Faster courts so evictions do not take over a year.
Clearer routes for landlords to regain possession in genuine cases.
Properly funded councils so they are not forced to rely on private landlords as emergency housing.
Stronger protections for tenants, but not at the cost of destroying the rental market.

Until that balance is found, we will keep seeing rental homes disappear across Hertfordshire, and the people who need them most will pay the price.

The question is not whether tenants should be protected. It is whether the way we are doing it could ultimately leave them with nowhere to rent at all.

If you are a Hertfordshire landlord affected by this and would like to share your experience, please contact us at [email protected] or reply directly to this email.

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Cheers,
Editor-in-chief | Emeka Ogbonnaya

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