A record number of Landlords buy in cash last month.

Countrywide yesterday 14th February released their Monthly Lettings Index – January 2017 headlined ‘Cash landlords hit a record high’.

In the highlights they reported that  January 2017 saw a record 61% of landlords buy in cash, up from 59% last year and 41% in 2007.  In the North West of England landlords are most likely to pay in cash while London landlords are most likely to use a mortgage and that  rents across Great Britain rose 2.6% in January 2017 but continued to fall in the capital.

Commenting Johnny Morris, Research Director at Countrywide, said: “On average landlords sell a home once every 17 years meaning as prices have increased, a significant amount of wealth has built up in the sector. This is now fuelling cash purchases. With the forthcoming tapering of tax relief on mortgage interest payment, landlords have less of an incentive to borrow, suggesting more cash activity in 2017.

“Rents are rising at twice the pace of last January and there are signs that rental growth is starting to pick up in much of the country. Ten months after the introduction of the stamp duty surcharge the number of homes on the rental market is showing signs of coming down. If this fall continues over the next few months, it is likely to support rental price growth.”

Read the Countrywide Monthly Lettings Index January 2017 report in full click here

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Nationwide extends six times lending to home movers and remortgage

Nationwide enhances support for people looking to move up the property ladder or get a new mortgage deal Five-fold increase in Nationwide loans to first-time buyers at or above 5.5x income in 2025, compared to 2024 Increased first-time buyer support follows regulatory changes to improve affordability Nationwide is today announcing a major boost to the…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News – 21/1/2026

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Jon Cooke steps down as Non-Executive Director at GPEA Jon Cooke will continue to focus on innovation within the property sector Jon Cooke has stepped down from his role as Non-Executive Director at GPEA, the business that owned Fine & Country and The Guild…
Read More
Breaking News

UK Finance Buy-to-Let Mortgage Market Update

UK Finance today releases its buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage market update for Q3 2025, looking at trends in lending to borrowers accessing the market. In Q3 2025 there were 59,467 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £10.9 billion. This was up quite significantly compared with the same quarter in the previous year, 22.7 per…
Read More
Breaking News

ONS Private Rent and House Prices Index

Average UK monthly private rents increased by 4.0%, to £1,368, in the 12 months to December 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 4.4% in the 12 months to November 2025. Average rents increased to £1,424 (3.9%) in England, £822 (5.7%) in Wales, and £1,018 (2.8%) in Scotland, in the 12 months…
Read More
Breaking News

UK House Price Index November 2025

The latest index shows that: The average monthly rate of house price growth in November was +0.3%. Average UK house price annual inflation was 2.5% in the 12 months to November 2025, up from the revised estimate of 1.9% in the 12 months to October 2025. As a result, the average UK house price currently…
Read More
Breaking News

Industry Comment on UK inflation rising to 3.4%

UK inflation rises for the first time in 5 months. Industry reactions on UK inflation rising to 3.4% Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark: “To witness inflation creep back upwards again will no doubt be disappointing for many consumers who will have been hoping to see a drop as we move further into the first quarter…
Read More