Acorn has taken aim at private landlords again, this time questioning whether their existence is even necessary.

Responding to news stories about rental reforms driving landlords out of the sector, a spokesperson tells the lobbying group’s followers on X: “If landlords decided to sell up would it really be a disaster for tenants? Luckily, we don’t have to guess because a massive landlord sell-off has actually happened before. Around the time of the First World War, 90% of Britons rented from a private landlord and by the end of the 1970s it had fallen to less than 10%.

“The truth is homes don’t just disappear when landlords sell up, they just change hands to different owners. Headlines like this are usually just a copy and paste of a press release sent to journalists by the landlord lobby - the message is designed to make us think that we need landlords when the reality is it's landlords who need us.”

Writing in the Big Issue, landlord Bryan Stevens lays the blame for those quitting partly at the feet of groups like Acorn. He argues that governments have made it less worthwhile for landlords, and that the Renters’ Rights Bill is the final nail in the coffin. He plans to sell up and invest in “hassle-free funds”.   

“It is a real shame that the only losers will be my tenants, most of whom have been with me for many years and will now have to find other properties,” said Stevens. “I will tell my poor tenants, who have done nothing wrong, to blame successive governments and organisations that spew anti-landlord rhetoric.”

Acorn has previously defended its stance to LandlordZONE, insisting that there is an inherent conflict between the interests of landlords and tenants.

It said: “We exist to challenge the imbalance of power between the two, and while our tone may not please everyone, we make no apologies for prioritising the right to a home over the pursuit of profit.”

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said: “Rental fraud is an utterly shameful crime, and this new data should serve as a stark reminder that anyone can be a victim."

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