Where are BTL landlords most likely to buy property in the next 12 months?

Buy to-to-let landlords across the Midlands are most likely to acquire new property over the next 12 months, new research show.

A survey of almost 800 landlords conducted by BVA BDRC, on behalf of Paragon, found that almost a quarter – 24% – of landlords in the East Midlands plan to purchase property in the next 12 months, with 22% of West Midlands landlords also looking to add to their portfolio.

Other regions that showed high demand for property from buy-to-let investors included the North East and Yorkshire & Humber, with 19% of landlords in both regions looking to purchase.

Landlords in the South West (8%) and central London (9%) were the least likely to purchase property over the period.

Overall, 14% of landlords plan to purchase property, with the average landlord acquiring three new properties.

More than half – 52% – of those looking to buy property are targeting terraced housing, followed by semi-detached property (32%) and flats (26%).

A quarter of landlords also intend to buy a HMO during the year, reflecting the growing popularity of this property type, particularly amongst professional, portfolio landlords.

% of landlords planning to increase portfolio in next 12 months
East of England 13
East Midlands 24
London (Central) 9
London (Outer) 17
North East 19
North West 13
South East 15
South West 8
Wales 10
West Midlands 22
Yorkshire and Humber 19

Those with larger portfolios expressed a greater desire to buy property, with the research showing that 8% of landlords with one property planning to purchase during the year, rising to 20% for those with 20 or more.

Meanwhile, 12% of landlords with between two-three properties said they will buy, whilst the proportion of landlords with between four-five (15%), six-ten (14%) and 11-19 (14%) properties looking to purchase was broadly balanced.

Richard Rowntree, Paragon’s managing director of mortgages, said: “The proportion of landlords looking to purchase new property has been largely consistent over the past two years, but we are seeing regional variations and also a greater propensity for portfolio landlords to invest in property.

“Portfolio landlords have adopted a number of strategies to adapt to the tax and regulatory changes of recent years and we’re seeing trends such as these landlords buying stock from smaller-scale participants as they exit the market, or targeting higher yielding properties, such as HMOs.”

The researched showed that nearly two thirds (63%) of landlords plan to fund their next purchase with a buy-to-let mortgage, whilst 17% will release equity from existing properties to generate purchase funds. Meanwhile, 18% said they would purchase property outright using previously invested funds.

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