We know many landlords are weighting up their next move carefully. We appreciate there is significant demand in the rental market, but many landlords are evaluating their position in the market.

At Andrew Lees Lettings, we are pleased to say we have helped many local landlords in and around Bridgwater. If you’re looking for guidance based on the local and national market, we can help.

Find out what other landlords think

Information provided by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) offers insight into what landlords think about the current market:

  • 30% of private sector landlords have expressed their intention to sell at least one property in the next 12 months

  • 16% of landlords expect to but at least one property in the next 12 months

  • 35% of buy-to-let investors say they have experienced greater demand from tenants in the most recent three months

  • Close to 66% of landlords say their rental business has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

  • 18% of landlords say the pandemic had a significantly negative impact on rental property

The NRLA estimates private sector rent arrears in England, relating to COVID-19, stands at £437m

The NRLA believes while rental demand is greater, the increase in rent arrears and other rising costs has left many landlords considering their position

Many landlords have experienced a growth in rental demand

The level of demand for rental property has been shown in research conducted by Paragon Bank. They spoke to more than 700 landlords, with help from BVA BDRC, and found 29% of landlords said they had experienced increase tenant demand in the three months leading to the end of September 2020.

This is the highest growth since Q3 of 2016. 10% of landlords said they had experienced “significant growth”.

New research carried out on behalf of Paragon Bank has revealed that during Q3 tenant demand hit a four-year high, with landlords in the North West and South West reporting the strongest levels of growth.

Richard Rowntree, Paragon Bank Managing Director of Mortgages, said: “The record levels of tenant demand we saw being reported by the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla when the housing market reopened in May has started to feed through to landlords as tenants reassess where and how they want to live.”

Richard also said; “Central London is clearly seeing the impact of Airbnb style landlords moving property into long-term lettings, as well as a desire for larger properties. Outside of London, demand is buoyant from the East of England, where 27% of landlords are reporting growth in demand, to the North East and South West, where nearly half of respondents are telling us they are seeing positive growth.”

Richard concluded by saying; “We expect this to continue for the foreseeable future and there’s a number of factors we’re seeing at play. For example, there’s been growth in homeowners taking advantage of strong prices and selling to move into rented, people are looking to secure a new home ahead of entering a potential second lockdown, whilst students left it late to secure property for the new academic year.”

As an experienced letting agent serving the Bridgwater community, and many of the surrounding areas, we are here to help. We promise to stay in touch with the latest technology, helping our clients to achieve more, and we aim to support the local community as best we can. If there is anything, we can assist you with; please contact Andrew Lees Lettings today.