Landlords seem determined to retain their investments in rental properties, despite Government changes to Stamp Duty, tax relief and possible future changes to Capital Gains Tax, says new research.

At the same time, tenants want longer tenancies to provide more security after a chaotic year during the pandemic.

Research from the buy-to-let property investment specialist, Sequre Property Investment, has found that just 10 per cent of landlords have sold part of their portfolio in the last five years, while just 19 per cent stated they were thinking of selling up in the next five years.

The research also found that the majority of landlords thinking of selling up are doing so because they have become tired of dealing with tenant issues. A close second reason was retirement.

Daniel Jackson, Sales Director at Sequre Property Investment, said: “Investing in property remains one of the safest options you can make in this day and age and so it comes as little surprise that the majority of landlords remain confident with their investment and have no plans to exit the buy-to-let sector.

“It’s also interesting to see that the Government has failed to intimidate the nation’s landlords, despite a consistent campaign to reduce profit margins and force them out of the sector.

“In fact, more landlords have decided to leave having grown tired of dealing with tenants than they have because of various Government tax changes.

“So, it looks as though the Government will have to actually build some more homes if they wish to address the current housing crisis, rather than rely on hard-working landlords to boost the nation’s property stock levels.”

Meanwhile, new research suggests an overwhelming number of renters want longer tenancies, a trend pushed further by the uncertainties of the pandemic.

A survey of over 1,100 tenants commissioned by Ascend Properties found that 93 per cent of those asked think that tenancies longer than 12 months should be more widely available within the UK rental market.

Some 81 per cent also stated that the pandemic and the turbulent rental landscape that emerged, as a result, have made them more likely to rent a property for longer than 12 months.

The driving factor behind tenant demand for longer-term tenancy agreements is the security they provide, with many having no choice but to move on at the end of the year should their landlord choose not to renew.

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