58% of landlords surveyed by Paragon Mortgages said that they were worried about the level of regulation required in relation to the running of their property business during 2010.

As buy-to-let lending levels remain subdued and mortgage product availability is still limited, 37% of landlords are also concerned about how they will fund property purchases this year.

Other concerns included retaining tenants (32%), finding tenants (31%), tenant disputes (24%), and meeting mortgage payments (12%).

Landlords operating in the private rented sector are already regulated by an estimated 50 Acts of Parliament and 70 sets of regulations governing the sector, but more could be on the way. The Government has recently concluded a consultation on the launch of a national mandatory registration scheme for landlords and is due to report its findings shortly.

HM Treasury is also currently consulting on whether the FSA’s remit should be extended to regulate the buy-to-let sector.

John Heron, Paragon Mortgages’ managing director, said: “It is not surprising that regulation tops the list of landlords’ concerns for the year. They already have to comply with a myriad of regulations