According to a news story, landlords in the capital are more likely to employ a letting agent than those in the rest of the UK.
Citing a study of landlords carried out by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the story reported that:
- 70% of London landlords use a letting agent;
- 40% of these contract the agent to manage all aspects of their business, including collecting rent, maintaining the property and finding tenants;
- in the rest of the country, 60% of landlords use a letting agent;
- around two-thirds of these opt for a full agency management package.
Investment property ownership
There were also some differences in the type of investment property owned:
- in London, 79% of landlords own flats compared to 40% in the rest of the country;
- 47% of landlords in the capital have houses, while in the rest of the country 84% let houses;
- around 60% of London landlords own a single property and 20% have two properties – which is the same as the rest of the UK.
The survey also found that:
- 13% of London landlords are planning to expand their property portfolio within the next five years compared to 8% outside the capital;
- 9% of landlords in the capital said they would sell in the next five years compared to 15% in the rest of the country.
Compared to the rest of the UK, landlords with properties in London typically have higher disposable incomes, are more likely to be full-time workers, and tend to become landlords at a younger age.
