Number of UK landlords rises to 1.75 million
Monday 30 May 2016 00.01 BST
The rapid pace of growth in buy-to-let investments has been illustrated by new figures showing the number of landlords rising by 7% in 2013-14 to reach 1.75 million.
Figures from estate agent ludlowthompson based on data from HM Revenue & Customs showed 1.75 million people declared income from property during the year, up from 1.63 million in 2012-13, as they chased returns on their cash that outstripped other investments.
Landlords banked a combined £14.2bn in net income from their rental properties during the year, up from £13.1bn the year before.
The HMRC figures are the latest data on landlord numbers, which are likely to have increased significantly since. Buy-to-let lending has boomed as cheap mortgages and rising rents, combined with low savings rates, have made property attractive to investors. Ludlowthompson said that over the past year the price of property in London had risen by 13.9% – a period when the FTSE 100 fell by 8.8%.
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/may/30/number-of-uk-landlords-rises-to-175-million
