BeHomed founder Sheila Smith on a different kind of landlord exit
Something has shifted in the conversations I’m having with landlords.
Property used to be a straightforward investment. Profitable, too. More and more landlords are telling me that’s changed. Mortgage costs are up. Maintenance is up. And now the Renters’ Rights Act, which for many is the final straw. According to Goodlord’s 2025 State of the Lettings Industry report, 35% of all landlords have either sold or actively tried to sell in the last 12 months. And four out of five cite the Renters’ Rights Bill as their key reason.
Increasingly, what I’m hearing isn’t about how to grow a portfolio. It’s about how to exit one without it turning into a nightmare.
Because the nightmare is real. A property sitting on the market for months. Price reductions. Void periods. Many landlords assume selling is always an option, but post-Section 21, that exit is slower and less certain than it used to be.
Meanwhile, I constantly meet people who earn good incomes, pay significant rent every month, and still can’t see a realistic path to buying. The barriers vary; for some it’s the deposit, for others it’s simply that the gap between what they earn and what they can borrow has become too wide. They need time and a clear pathway.
At some point, it struck me that these weren't two separate problems at all, and that they could actually solve each other.
That’s what BeHomed is built on.
A landlord agrees a future sale price upfront. A carefully vetted tenant-buyer moves in, pays rent, and works towards purchasing the property within an agreed timeframe, usually three to seven years. The purchase price is fixed from day one, so the tenant-buyer isn’t chasing a target that keeps moving. BeHomed manages the entire process, with specialist solicitors covering the legal agreements.
What tends to surprise landlords most isn’t the financial side. It’s how differently the tenant behaves. They’re not treating it as somewhere temporary. The mindset shift is noticeable.
Tenant-buyer demand is strong and growing. When BeHomed was featured recently in the Standard, hundreds of enquiries came in within hours.
Straightforward residential homes, particularly family houses in areas where people want to put down roots, tend to work well. And it works best where a property is vacant or approaching vacancy. A landlord whose tenant has just given notice is in the right position to consider this.
But some of the most rewarding outcomes come from landlords who are mid-tenancy and simply ask their tenant an unexpected question: would you like to buy this home?
Many tenants have never imagined it might be possible. They’ve written off homeownership, assumed it’s out of reach, and settled into renting without ever considering that the home they already love could become theirs. When that conversation goes well, and it often does, it’s the smoothest transition of all. The landlord gets a clean, stress-free exit. The tenant gets a pathway they didn’t know existed. Everyone wins.
The landlords I work with aren’t just looking for another tenant. They’re looking for a way out that feels calm, structured and financially sensible. No void between tenancies. No letting agent call that makes your stomach drop before you’ve even heard what’s broken. Day-to-day maintenance sits with the tenant-buyer, because they’re already thinking like an owner.
But for me, the most interesting part is the alignment it creates. Landlords gain a structured, predictable exit. And someone who thought homeownership was out of reach gets a real shot at it.
In a housing system where landlords and tenants are so often pitted against each other, I find something quietly satisfying about a model that shows their interests can still align.
If that sounds like the exit you’ve been looking for, let’s have a chat.
BeHomed is part of the growing rent-to-own sector, offering a structured alternative to traditional letting for landlords planning their exit.
www.behomed.co.uk
You agree a future sale price upfront.
BeHomed sources and vets a suitable tenant-buyer. Someone who has a real plan to buy, not just someone who needs somewhere to live.
The tenant-buyer moves in and pays rent from day one. No voids. Day-to-day maintenance is their responsibility, because they’re already thinking like an owner. Legal agreements cover both the tenancy and the future purchase option.
During the rental period, usually three to seven years, the tenant-buyer works towards being mortgage-ready.
When they're ready to buy, you receive the agreed sale price and exit cleanly. If for any reason they don’t complete the purchase, BeHomed works with you to find the right next step.
A landlord had been trying to sell his three-bedroom house since August. By November it was still empty, costing him money every month. He was weighing up whether to let it out conventionally or hold on for a sale. Neither felt like a great option.
BeHomed agreed a sale price upfront. Vetted tenant-buyers moved in, and the property started making him money again. He avoided the uncertainty of a standard tenancy and has a clear exit, on his terms and at a price agreed from the start.
Many people renting today earn good incomes and pay significant rent every month, but still feel locked out of homeownership. The deposit is one barrier. Affordability is increasingly another.
BeHomed gives these buyers time. They move into the home they want to own, pay rent while working towards their purchase, and complete when they’re mortgage-ready.
