News

Investors with ready cash and an eye for repossessions revive buy-to-let market

Buy-to-let investors are back, according to the latest figures, which show that estate agents have reported an increase in landlords buying property in the past three months.

Figures compiled by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for The Times showed a 2 per cent increase in the number of surveyors that reported an increase rather than a fall in buy-to-let demand in the three months to September.

However, investors are no longer interested in snapping up city-centre flats; RICS reported increased demand for houses from buy-to-let landlords, with 5 per cent more surveyors reporting an increase, while there was a sharp drop in demand for flats, with 15 per cent of surveyors reporting a fall rather than a rise.

The revival in buy-to-let activity has not been evident in all parts of the country.