One in seven landlords to expand portfolio this year

Around one in seven landlords in the UK are planning to expand their portfolios in the year ahead with the North-West expected to be the busiest region, new research from Precise Mortgages revealed.

The study found more than one in five landlords (22%) are planning to buy in the North-West, followed by both the South-East and Yorkshire the Humber – where 16% of landlords were found to be targeting for new properties.

Precise mortgages, which conducted its study online in September 2019 among a sample of 888 National Landlords Association members, also indicated the regions reporting a higher proportion of buyers than sellers in the next 12 months included the East and West Midlands, as well as the South-West and North-East.

Furthermore, the Precise Mortgages study revealed 68% of buyers plan to fund their next purchase with a buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage, while just 18% will release equity from existing properties. Demand for mortgages was found to be similar across all portfolio sizes, although 23% of landlords with 11-plus properties indicated they would release equity.

The study also revealed that brokers continue to dominate the market – with 73% of landlords using a mortgage broker or intermediary to arrange their last BTL mortgage, while 19% went direct to a lender. Landlords with six to 10 properties were revealed to be the most likely to use brokers at 79% – while 29% of landlords with one property dealt directly with a lender.

Precise Mortgages managing director, Alan Cleary, commented: “The increasing professionalisation of the BTL market means landlords are becoming more focused and selective in where they buy properties and how they fund their purchases.

“Recent rate cuts across the BTL market are highlighting the opportunities to increase portfolios and profitability as well as underlining the need for expert advice from brokers particularly among landlords with bigger portfolios.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


FREE E-NEWS SIGN UP

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news and other industry announcements by email.

  Please tick here to confirm you are happy to receive third party promotions from carefully selected partners.


NEW BUILD IN FOCUS - NEW EPISODE OF THE MORTGAGE INSIDER PODCAST, OUT NOW
Figures from the National House-Building Council saw Q1 2025 register a 36% increase in new homes built across the UK compared with the same period last year, representing a striking development for the first-time buyer market. But with the higher cost of building, ongoing planning challenges and new and changing regulations, how sustainable is this growth? And what does it mean for brokers?

The role of the bridging market and technology usage in the industry
Content editor, Dan McGrath, sat down with chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, Damien Druce, and head of development finance at Empire Global Finance, Pete Williams, to explore the role of the bridging sector, the role of AI across the industry and how the property market has fared in the Labour Government’s first year in office.


Does the North-South divide still exist in the UK housing market?
What do the most expensive parts of the country reveal about shifting demand? And why is the Manchester housing market now outperforming many southern counterparts?



In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.

The new episode of The Mortgage Insider podcast, out now
Regional housing markets now matter more than ever. While London and the Southeast still tend to dominate the headlines from a house price and affordability perspective, much of the growth in rental yields and buyer demand is coming from other parts of the UK.

In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance.