The government is under pressure to bring forward regulation of the property Sale and Rent-Back (SARB) market as more property owners are turning to “fire sales” to stave off repossession or to cut losses on their buy-to-let investments.

In October, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warned that the deals – which allow owners to remain in their properties as tenants after selling to a firm for a price well below market value – could leave individuals tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket.