Landlords look to grow portfolios in 2012

Landlords are feeling increasingly positive about the prospects for the private rented sector in 2012 and are looking to invest in their portfolios in the coming months, according to research commissioned by Paragon Mortgages.

The buy-to-let lender worked with market research specialists BDRC Continental to build a picture of landlords’ planned purchasing behaviour for the next 12 months, at a time when the PRS is more heavily relied upon by a greater proportion of the population than ever before.

More than a fifth (22%) of the landlords that took part in the survey said that they expect to purchase additional properties in the next 12 months, and just 8% are considering reducing their stock. The average portfolio size in Q2 2011 was 12, which has climbed to 13 in Q3.