Buried within the machinery of the Renters' Rights Act is a provision that could quietly reshape the economics of buy-to-let for tens of thousands of landlords: a mandatory 12-month re-letting ban on any property repossessed under grounds such as sale or landlord occupation. New analysis suggests as many as 100,000 rental homes could be caught in this regulatory limbo over the coming year, unable to be relet, sold with vacant possession quickly, or brought back into productive use without triggering compliance risk. For a private rented sector already straining under a chronic supply deficit, this is not a minor technicality — it is a structural shock with consequences for rents, landlord behaviour and tenant access across every UK region.