Women account for nearly 50% of UK landlords
With more women than ever before becoming UK landlords, research reveals that they now account for 48% of the 2.6 million of the country's buy to let landlords.
The research from Ludlow Thompson found that while the number of male landlords grew by 10% between 2014 and 2019 to 1.38 million, according to HMRC data, the number of female landlords grew by 17% to reach 1.25 million.
The rise in numbers comes despite rocketing property prices and increasing taxes that make buy to let investment less profitable than it was in previous years.
Also, the total income received by women landlords from their buy to let investments has risen much quicker in recent years than it has for men.
Buy to let income for women grew by 27%
The data reveals that the buy to let income for women grew by 27% in five years, to £16.1 billion.
That's nearly double the rate for male landlords which grew by just 15%.
The chairman of Ludlow Thompson, Stephen Ludlow, said: "The gender gap in BTL ownership is narrowing, and it might not be long until there's a 50-50 gender split among BTL investors."
He added that women are being attracted to the buy to let market because it has a reputation for delivering stable, long-term returns for those investors wanting long-term growth and income.
The managing director of Accommodation for Students, Simon Thompson, welcomed the research and said: "It's good news that more women landlords are entering the sector to enjoy the long-term yields that are possible.
"As with all potential investments, landlords that are new to letting must do their research thoroughly to ensure that their investment will pay off."
UK cities offering the most furnished homes for rent
Meanwhile, research reveals that the demand for fully furnished rental homes has never been higher.
The findings from Manor Interiors, analysed 24 British cities to find which one offers the highest percentage of homes that are fully furnished.
They found that around 50% of all homes to rent are being offered as fully furnished properties.
However, the top spot was taken by Aberdeen where 89% of rental homes are available as being fully furnished.
Edinburgh came second with 85%, followed by Leeds on 84%, and Newcastle on 81%.
The firm's chief executive, Farhan Malik, said: "The flexibility and convenience of renting long term resonate with tenants and the rental sector is evolving to meet these needs.
"A furnished home is just one aspect of this and presenting a practical and stylish furnished property is a way to grab the attention of tenants beyond the average rental property."
