How to sell your house and rent instead

The housing market is always undergoing change and it can be difficult to keep up. 

Recent trends have suggested it’s the “toughest sellers’ market in 10 years,” according to Rightmove in The Guardian. One of Rightmove’s property experts, Colleen Babcock, said: “It appears that we’re now seeing the decade-high level of homes for sale, and the recent stamp duty increases in England, have a delayed impact on new sellers’ pricing.”

This means homeowners who want or need to move are facing some significant challenges when it comes to finding a buyer, but that’s reliant on them selling on the open market. There are ways to sell quickly and easily if you need to make a timely change in your life.

In this article, we will cover the common reasons for selling a house, whether or not it’s a good idea to sell yours and, if you do, how you can go about it in the most efficient way.

Table of Contents

• Common reasons for selling a property

• Is it a good idea to sell your home and rent instead?

• How to sell your home quickly and start renting

Common reasons for selling a property

People have many different reasons for selling a house, but the common thread through all of them is finding the right time (if, indeed, you have the luxury).

Perhaps you have a young family and are looking for more space for them to grow up, you want to downsize because of a relationship breakup, or you want to move for work—the reasons are endless.

Here are some of the most common reasons we’ve seen over the years:

Releasing equity

When homeowners want to release equity from their homes, they can borrow cash against the value of their homes. Equity release can help a homeowner make a profit, fund a rental property, pay off debts, or try to stop repossession.

When you release equity, you can receive the money as an entire sum, in smaller amounts, or a combination of both. Unlocking finances tied up in property may make a massive difference to your financial situation. 

Reacting to housing market conditions

If the housing market conditions are favourable, homeowners can sell up to take advantage of:

• Low mortgage rates

• Increased market value

• Strong buyer demands.

However, if the market is beginning to show negative signs, some homeowners might look to fast-track their sales. Some examples of adverse conditions may include:

• Slowing or declining house market value

• Slowing buyers’ market

• The cost-of-living crisis makes it harder for people to keep up with their mortgage payments.

Downsizing or upsizing

At some point in their lives, many homeowners reach the need to change the size of their home, whether it is to downsize or upsize.

Some people start to look for smaller homes because of financial constraints or changes in family circumstances, such as children leaving home or divorce.

Conversely, people looking to upsize could be moving from an apartment to a house or a small house to a larger home. Upsizing typically happens when people move up the property ladder.

Relocating

Homeowners tend to sell up and relocate for three common reasons: 

• Change in relationship status: Homeowners who have undergone a change in relationship status or family relations may want to relocate. They may wish to move out of a family or partner's home or find a place to fit multiple family generations.

• Changes in local area: Homeowners who live in a local area that has undergone a neighbourhood change, like a severe redevelopment plan or a drop in public services, may want to move to a place that better suits their needs.

• Change in employment: Homeowners may relocate due to a change in their employment status, whether they've become unemployed and need to reduce their living expenses or they’re following their dream job. Employment is one of the most influential factors in why people move houses in the first place.

Selling an inherited property

You should follow the probate property process if you've inherited a property. 

Once probate is complete and the property has been transferred under your name, you will have three options: move into it, rent it out or sell it.

If you decide to move into it, you may need to sell the property you previously owned or rent it out, depending on your financial situation.

Alternatively, you could sell the probate property to release profits, as it will gather utility and tax over time, which can impact your finances.

Read more: Dealing with someone’s affairs when they die

Is it a good idea to sell your home and rent instead?

Whether or not you sell your house should always come down to personal circumstances and you should seek professional legal advice before making any final decisions.

Anything can happen in life to make you want or need to sell your home, so it’s important to weigh up your circumstances against the market to decide what’s best for you. 

Current UK house prices aren’t growing particularly rapidly, with a modest rise of only 1.3% in the year to August 2025, according to Zoopla. This means that sellers of all kinds of houses are being forced to price more competitively to find a buyer. Here’s an indication of the slow growth across different house types, according to Zoopla’s House Price Index:

Other indices have different increase rates, such as the UK House Price Index, which indicates a 2.8% year-on-year rise, but the average is still slower than in previous decades.

Homeowners are also being made to wait when selling on the open market, with the mean selling time in places like Manchester and Cardiff currently sitting at 100 days and 110 days on average. These kinds of figures can leave sellers like you wondering how long to leave your house on the market if you need to sell it and, indeed, when to reduce your asking price. 

The only solution here is to use this data to make an informed decision on your own house—we can’t advise as to whether or not it’s a good time to sell, but we can point you in the direction of the right data to help you choose what’s best for you, whether you need to move out and rent elsewhere on a temporary or semi-permanent basis.

Is renting better than buying?

Again, this all comes down to your personal circumstances, but there are some upsides to renting instead of buying after you’ve sold a house—these include:

There are plenty of renting options available, such as renting directly from a landlord or letting agent, and plenty of routes to finding the perfect rental home for you. A letting agent will act as a middleman between you and your landlord.

If you rent directly from a landlord, you may have to pay less when you initially move in and give fewer references. Furthermore, you might also avoid the need to get a credit check.

With a letting agent, you may have to pay a larger deposit, provide more references and get a credit check. However, you’ll benefit from having the letting agent there to handle any repairs and contact the landlord on your behalf. You’ll also be able to get advice about the local area and complain to an independent ombudsperson if you're unhappy with the service provided, which will allow you some support.

You’ll find plenty of good discussions on the MoneySavingExpert forum about selling a property and renting instead. One now-deleted user in this thread expresses regret over renting in between homes, having sold one with the intention of eventually moving into another: 

This is a good example of how such a decision should come down to personal needs at the time. Another user mentions the influence that changing circumstances can have on your decision:

Whatever you decide to do, it’s a must to seek professional financial advice so you know you’re making your best move with the options available to you.

How to sell your home quickly and start renting

If, after all your research, deliberation and conversation with a financial advisor, you opt to sell up and rent for a while, selling in a property auction or selling to a cash buyer can help you do that quickly and efficiently.

An auction can allow you to sell quickly and avoid the hefty wait you’ll experience on the open market, but you will be restricted by dates and location and will still need to pay fees as part of the final agreement.

At The Property Buying Company, we are here to make the process of selling a house as pain-free as possible, as we know it can often be a matter of necessity. Our cash reserves mean you can sell straight away—we’ve bought houses in as little as seven days before—so it can be a real weight off your mind if you need to find a place to rent quickly.

To get started, just enter your postcode in the box below and we’ll be in touch with your free cash offer in under 24 hours.