Are the days of private landlords numbered?
The ongoing demise in the UK buy to let property market has hit many private individuals very hard after a relatively lucrative last decade. While it's true that many individuals have made significant returns over the last 10 years there is a growing feeling that large corporations and large investors will swamp the sector in the short, medium and longer term. There are concerns that the so-called "amateur landlords" could be squeezed out of the market via a mixture of competition for properties and increased deposit requirements from mortgage providers.
The UK buy to let market has been a significant benefactor of the recent boom times in the UK which has seen house prices move out of the range of many first time buyers, forcing more and more people to consider renting. Competition for rental properties has pushed rent rates higher which has in turn pushed the value of properties to levels not seen for some time. However, the credit crunch and the ongoing demise in the UK property market have seen a number of private landlords suffer financial collapse and literally have to "giveaway" their properties to make ends meet.
The future UK property market could be a very different landscape to that seen over the last 10 years.
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