Nearly 100,000 buy-to-let landlords are expected to exit the rental market this year, according to new research from Black & White Bridging.
The lender’s latest broker insights report suggests a 6% fall in the number of buy-to-let landlords in 2025, equivalent to around 93,000 individuals leaving the sector. It follows an estimated reduction of 65,000 landlords between 2023 and 2024, marking an accelerating decline in participation.
HMRC data shows there were 2.84 million unincorporated landlords in the UK in 2023, of which Black & White calculates around 57% – 1.62 million – had a buy-to-let mortgage.
CHANGING PACE
Damien Druce, chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, said: “Not only does this survey indicate the loss of more than 150,000 landlords from the rental market over a two-year period, it also shows the rate of change is accelerating year-on-year.
“It’s likely these are landlords with small portfolios of one or two properties, landlords who don’t want to face the ongoing changes to regulation and rising costs.
“Being frank, brokers who write a lot of vanilla buy-to-let business may be nervous to find that there will be fewer buy-to-let landlords overall going into 2026.”
“But we think the industry will be left with a more professional cohort that is more likely to embrace opportunities or property deals that require specialist finance.
MORE PROFESSIONAL
He adds: “Professional landlords are more likely to be interested in bespoke auction products or a residential bridge to make quick property acquisitions and provide them with the time they need to organise tenants – even refurbishment bridge products can be used to fix up a bargain ahead of securing a buy-to-let mortgage. There will still be opportunities for brokers.”
The report found that fewer than a quarter of brokers (23%) expect the number of buy-to-let landlords to increase this year, while more than half (56%) forecast a contraction.
The survey was carried out in summer 2025 and forms part of Black & White Bridging’s regular market research into broker sentiment.
