Private landlord survey shows confidence in the sector

Almost half of private landlords are seeking to grow their portfolios

Private landlords are building multi-property portfolios and spreading their risks across wider geographic areas, reports Martin & Co.
A recent survey by estate agents Martin & Co reached out to almost 4,000 residential landlords across the UK. It found that 44% of private landlords own more than one rental property and 40% of those who own more than one property intend to expand their portfolio.
Furthermore an initial snapshot survey of landlords (since Budget announcements about cutting mortgage tax relief for investors) shows that these intentions have not been affected by tax reform legislation.
Negative post-election media coverage of the buy-to-let sector may be premature or even unfounded – 90% of surveyed landlords planned on either maintaining or growing their portfolios in spite of the proposed tax changes.
The popular image of a private landlord buying a property round the corner from their own home may be out of date, too. A third of multi-property owners surveyed by Martin & Co had acquired at least one property that is more than 100 miles away from their home base.
The research compares performance at regional level based on factors including cost of investment, capital growth and potential investment yield, so investors can measure their own area against others around the UK.
For example, Scotland is ideal for investors: it experienced the third best capital growth, the lowest cost of investment, and the fastest growth of private rental sector in the UK. Furthermore, six out of nine regions (excluding London which is an economy in itself!) showed that rental income alone could exceed typical income from a pension annuity by up to 25%.
Martin & Co also commissioned reports for each of the 10 individual regions that were researched – to offer landlords in-depth knowledge of their area of interest. These reports can be downloaded by visiting www.martinco.com/askmartin.