The survey found that 34% intended to expand their portfolios. However, 56% had no plans to buy further properties, up from 52% in the previous survey.
Among those planning to expand, 17% intended to buy one property, while 12% planned to purchase two or three.
Meanwhile, 43% of landlords had no plans to sell over the next 12 months, while 39% expected to sell at least one property.
Most landlords plan rent increases
More than eight in 10 landlords planned to increase rents over the next 12 months. Among those planning rises, the largest proportion (38%) intended to increase rents in line with inflation.
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Landbay said the findings were not unusual, but showed landlords were managing rental income and property costs in a competitive rental market while seeking to maintain the financial performance of their existing investments.
The most commonly reported gross rental yield was between 4% and 5.9%, cited by 33% of landlords. A fifth reported yields of between 6% and 7.9%.
Almost six in 10 plan to refinance
Almost six in 10 landlords planned to refinance as their mortgage deals expired, with 38% intending to take a new product with their existing lender and 21% expecting to remortgage to another lender.
More than a quarter were yet to decide what to do. Interest rates (34%) and the overall cost of borrowing (33%) were the biggest factors influencing landlords’ decisions.
The survey also found that 78% of landlords would use the same adviser again for their next buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage.
When asked which qualities they valued most in an adviser, 66% highlighted knowledge of BTL mortgage pricing and criteria, while 60% pointed to access to mortgage products unavailable directly.
Rob Stanton (pictured), sales and distribution director at Landbay, said: “What comes through from these latest results is that landlords remain very much committed to the buy-to-let sector, even if confidence and investment intentions vary depending on individual circumstances. It is encouraging to see an increase in those feeling positive about their own businesses, while more than a third still intend to purchase additional properties over the next year.
“Of course, these responses were gathered before last week’s Budget, which has introduced a further increase in the tax on property income for landlords holding properties in their personal names, and it will be interesting to see whether this changes investment intentions or confidence levels as we move into 2027.”
