A majority 59% of the buy-to-let (BTL) community say they would prefer not to be called landlords, arguing that the term is “dated”, according to a new study.

Research by Mortgages For Business indicated that “small housing providers” would be the preferred alternative used, as cited by 43% of those polled from the BTL space.

The mortgage intermediary’s study found that 36% of the BTL community would prefer to still remain as “landlords”, while 21% opted for other options – including 7% who would choose “rental accommodation power”.

Furthermore, almost three in four (73%) of those surveyed told Mortgages for Business they felt “unfairly portrayed as this generation’s financial bogeyman”. The study suggested that 8% felt that landlords were not “financial bogeymen” at all, while the remainder accepted that their notoriety might not be “entirely unwarranted”.

Commenting on the findings, Mortgages for Business managing director, Gavin Richardson, suggested that “sections of the media have vilified the BTL community”.

“It’s got to the point where the BTL community doesn’t want to be associated with the term ‘landlord’ anymore,” he said. “The term carries much more baggage than it once did. No wonder the community wants a rebrand.”

Richardson also said that the majority of landlords are paying 40% tax on their rental income – in addition to stamp duty – and suggested the government is “profiting hugely from Generation Rent”.

“Hammering landlords over the last five years has done first-time buyers no favours,” he added.

“What would happen if we took landlords out of the housing equation? The impact on the property market would be significant and almost entirely negative. It’s not as if the government is pouring money into social housing – or making any progress on house building. Frankly, the government should be championing landlords and lauding their contribution to the housing sector.”

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