Survey uncovers landlords’ worries and preferences in the rental market

More than half of landlords are concerned about upcoming legislative changes, according to a survey.

A government survey reveals that 62% of landlords are worried about legislative changes in the private rented sector.

Landlords with smaller portfolios are particularly worried about navigating tax changes (52%) and unpredictable tenant behaviour (50%).

Unwilling to let to tenants with rent arrears

According to the survey, there has been a decrease in the proportion of landlords owning properties with low EPC ratings since 2018.

The percentage of landlords with properties rated E, F, and/or G has dropped from 21% to 15% in 2021.

More than one-third of landlords now have properties with an EPC rating of C or higher (35%) or a rating of D (38%). However, 18% of landlords admitted to not knowing the EPC rating of their properties.

Median age of individual landlords is 58 years old

According to the findings, the median age of individual landlords is 58 years old. The survey reveals, 5% of all landlords said they were full-time landlords, with the remaining 95% being part-time landlords.

Nearly half (48%) of landlords considered their properties as an investment for rental income.

More than half (54%) of landlords considered their properties a long-term investment to contribute to their pension while 27% saw their properties as an investment for capital growth.