Buy to let activity continued to slide in 2025, with just 10.9% of properties in Britain bought by landlords.
According to the Hamptons agency, this is down from 12.0% in 2024 and well below the 15.8% recorded in 2015.
The latter figure was before the 3% stamp duty surcharge was first introduced in 2016.
This marks the lowest share of landlord purchases in a year since Hamptons recorded the activity in 2012.
It’s also the first time it has fallen below 11.0% over a full calendar year.
The decline comes during the first full year in which landlords paid the higher 5% stamp duty surcharge.
The North East remained the most investor-heavy region. Landlords accounted for 29.0% of purchases in the North East.
Next was the East Midlands (15.1%) and West Midlands (15.0%).
However, the South East, East of England and North East were the only three regions of England to record a year-on-year increase in the share of homes bought by investors.
Newly agreed rents typically set market rates in an area, with renewal rents gradually moving closer towards this level.
In 2025, the average cost of a contract renewal rose 3.3% annually to £1,310 pcm across Britain.
This left a £61 gap between new lets and renewals – the smallest differential since July 2021 and down from a peak of £170 per month in October 2023.
This article is taken from Landlord Today