The media portrayal of the buy-to-let market is not accurate, according to research undertaken by specialist lender Landbay.
In a poll of landlords, the buy-to-let (BTL) lender found that only 9% said they agreed that the media portrayal of the market was “fair and accurate”.
This represents a huge drop from a similar poll in 2023 when 19% of landlords felt the portrayal of the market was fair and accurate.
Landbay conducted their research in May 2025, polling buy-to-let landlords with portfolios totalling approximately 3,000 properties.
ROLLING IN CASH
Rob Stanton, sales and distribution director at Landbay, says: “The media – chiefly social but also the mainstream press – is traducing buy-to-let landlords.
“People seem to have a view that landlords are rolling in cash making huge profits; the situation has got worse over the last year presumably encouraged by the legislative agenda.
“As more landlords – small business owners – leave the market in the face of counter-productive red tape, the landlord-bashers are going to get a wake-up call when they realise the housing crisis has not disappeared and – because the supply of rental properties has shrunk – rents have risen.”
NEITHER FAIR OR ACCURATE
When Landbay broke the numbers down further, they found little difference between predominantly HMO or MUFB landlords and those with more vanilla portfolios.
But there was a significant difference between landlords borrowing via Ltd companies and those still borrowing as individuals.
While 10% of those borrowing solely through Ltd company structures (or with a blend of Ltd company and individual borrowing, thought the media’s portrayal was neither fair nor accurate, only 4% of those borrowing solely as individuals shared this view.
Equally, only 4% of landlords with single properties or portfolios of two or three properties thought the media portrayal was fair and accurate, compared to 10% of those with four or more properties.
Stanton adds: “Landlords with only a few properties tend to be those that have invested all their savings and inheritance into their properties in the hope of providing themselves with a retirement income.
“I think they genuinely care about the state of their properties and therefore find their demonisation even more unfair.”
