According to the organisation, its member agents are already reporting their landlords selling up or considering doing so since the proposals within the white paper were published in June.

The prediction was made as part of the written evidence submitted by Propertymark to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, which has opened an inquiry into the government’s plans to reform the PRS in England.

Propertymark has also highlighted concerns around the lack of long-term security for BTL landlords as a result of the government’s plans to move away from fixed-term tenancies.

Furthermore, the industry body said that the proposals to move to periodic tenancies would not work in the student market and would likely reduce the supply of student homes in the general PRS.

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With regards to the proposals to abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions, Propertymark stated that there needs to be an equal balance between tenant protections and the ability of the landlords to take possession of their properties in reasonable circumstances — such as anti-social behaviour.

Propertymark also called for changes to the court process to speed up possessions, and for a full pilot of the removal of Section 21, mediation, and the new court process to measure the impact before they are rolled out across the country.

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, said: “There are elements of the proposed reform that, if progressed, will create further risk and our member agents say they have seen enough to convince some of their landlords to sell up or indicate an intention to.

“Our research shows many properties sold off by landlords are not returning to the rental market.

“If landlords reject the changes and no longer want to make their properties available for rent, there is a danger the PRS will become smaller and even more expensive.

“The knock-on effect will see local authorities under unmanageable pressure to help many households secure a suitable alternative against a backdrop of significant under-supply of affordable homes to rent."