Why investing in residential property has proved so popular – and why the future for buy-to-let remains bright

As ludlowthompson hits its twenty-fifth anniversary, we reflect on the growth of the buy-to-let industry over the past decades

ludlowthompson's research estimates the total value of buy-to-let properties in the UK is approximately £1.4 trillion, so it is now a huge business.

When ludlowthompson was established 25 years ago the number of UK households renting privately had reached a low point of 2 million. Now it is 4.5 million. So our decision to focus on buy-to-let in London as well as house sales proved a good one!

We still foresee a very solid future for buy-to-let and hopefully the Government will once more recognise that private renting is part of the solution to the housing problem, not part of the problem.

Certainly the future for London looks bright. Recent figures show that take-up of Central London office space increased by 4% last year, confirming that European and international companies are continuing to invest and build their presence in the capital. This is a sure sign that London, as somewhere convenient to live, will continue to attract the brightest and best from around the world after Brexit.

According to the latest research from RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), rents over the next five years nationally could rise by 15%. They predict a fall in the number of new homes for rent coming onto the market, which, combined with resilient demand, should push rents up.

Stephen Ludlow, Chairman of ludlowthompson comments: “If you are reviewing buy-to-let as a long-term investment, it is worth factoring this into your calculations. Taking a long-term view we are confident that buy-to-let in London will continue to perform extremely well compared with other asset classes.”

If you are considering buying a property to let, or hedging against the recent interest rate rise by refinancing, please contact Chris Lockley at Jigsaw Mortgages here.

Here is a selection of recent reviews of happy customers of ludlowthompson via Google Reviews:

We are private landlords and LT has been helping finding us tenants. All people they found are great tenants. Alex has been the main person we have been always dealing with. He is on the top of things, kept us updated what’s going on, etc. Thank you for all your work for us.

- Shari Bienova on Google Reviews

Anne has been a fantastic help in letting a property in East London. She has answered all our questions, she has replied to all of our emails almost instantly and she is professional and friendly. We would definitely recommend Anne and colleagues at Ludlow Thompson. They have provided an excellent service and Anne has made the whole process very clear, easy and efficient.

- Emma Voight on Google Reviews

ludlowthompson maintains its transparency by encouraging customer reviews across a number of platforms. We are ranked as the number 1 agent in the UK on allAgents out of 15,000+ agents, with 5800+ 5* reviews and we are linked with feefo, a global Google Partner. This gives the customer another place to search for independent reviews of the company and the individuals that work at ludlowthompson.