The trend is most evident among larger portfolio landlords.
Company ownership has overtaken private ownership in the 11-20 property bracket, accounting for 51% of holdings, and rises to 57.6% among landlords with 20 or more properties.
The data proved incorporation is closely linked to portfolio growth and professionalisation.
Average portfolio values increased from around £417,000 for landlords with 1-3 properties to £8.96m for those with portfolios of 20 or more, while the proportion of privately held properties fell from 67.1% to 42.4%.
Regionally, the North East was the UK’s most corporate BTL market, with 53.5% of ownership held through companies.
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Yorkshire and the Humber followed closely behind at 53%, while Scotland ranked third. The North West was the next-highest English region, with company ownership accounting for 48% of the market.
By contrast, private ownership remained dominant in Greater London and Northern Ireland, where 66.7% and 77.8% of BTL holdings respectively are owned in landlords’ personal names.
Incorporation incurs higher mortgages
The report also found differences in borrowing costs by ownership structure, with average mortgage rates standing at 4.76% for privately owned properties compared with 6.44% for company-owned holdings. Lendlord highlighted this as a consideration for landlords to weigh alongside tax and operational costs.
Aviram Shahar, co-founder and CEO of Lendlord, said: “Company ownership is no longer a niche structure used only at the very top of the market. 45.1% of BTL ownership is already sitting in a company, and among larger portfolios it is the majority model at 57.6%.
“That split matters. Smaller landlords still tend to hold in their own name. Larger landlords, and more of the North, have already moved into companies.”
