Around 47% of buy-to-let (BTL) landlords say they have no intention of selling any properties in the next 12 months, a survey has found.
A Landbay survey revealed that BTL landlords with 4-10 properties are the most likely not to sell, with 36% saying they are not planning on disposing of properties in the coming year.
This was followed by landlords with 11-20 properties, with 26% confirming that they are not intending to reduce their portfolio.
Three-quarters of those landlords who have no plans to change their portfolios in the next year own their rental properties in a limited company.
Just under a third of landlords said they do intend to sell properties, an increase from 29% in the prior survey.
The most popular reason cited was taxation, cited by over half looking to sell properties. This is an increase from a third in the previous survey.
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Less than half plan to sell due to worries about evicting difficult tenants, with mortgage rates cited by 39% of landlords. The latter is a decrease from 48% in the last survey.
Only 1% of those questioned said they intend to sell all of their properties. Less than two in 10 landlords are still undecided and don’t know what their plans are.
Rob Stanton, sales and distribution director at Landbay, said: “As ever, I think landlords and the buy-to-let market in general have once again shown to be more resilient than many people give them credit.
“Our research has shown that not only are a good proportion of landlords intending to buy this year, but they are also keeping hold of the properties they have. This is hugely encouraging and absolutely critical to the overall health and wellbeing of the PRS and wider UK housing market.”
He continued: “While government policy and taxation may be out of our control as a lender, it’s important that we continue to use the skills and capabilities we do have to give landlords the options and the confidence to stay put in the market.
“Just recently, we launched our product transfer offering to give brokers another option to support landlords when refinancing. The initial feedback has been really positive and we hope it continues to help landlords of all sizes as they weigh up their options.”
