Buy-to-let property investors<\/a> continue to look at adding properties to their rental portfolios<\/a>, according to lender Fleet Mortgages<\/a>, which noted 39% of its customers were enquiring to expand their holdings.<\/p>\n More than half (55%) of applications received by the lender in the first quarter of this year were from landlords who owned four or more properties; although new investors continue to come to the market, with a 3% increase in the number of applications from first-time landlords compared with Q4 2024.<\/p>\n Fleet’s Rental Barometer, released yesterday, also revealed that the boost in enquiries coincided with landlords reporting higher rental yields<\/a> from their properties, after a 0.3% annual increase brought the average yield from rental homes in England and and Wales to 7.4%.<\/p>\n With most areas experiencing a rise in rental yields over the past 12 months, Steve Cox, chief commercial officer at Fleet Mortgages, noted that the market is showing stability, with the slow and steady rise proving “a real positive for landlords”.<\/p>\n Other factors supporting the market, according to Cox, include the continued supply-demand imbalance keeping prices afloat, falling interest rates, and affordability that is “easier to achieve across the board”.<\/p>\n The property market overall remains varied across the country, with the northern regions generally outperforming the south when it comes to rental and house price growth. Compared to the south, though, prices remain considerably more affordable, which boosts appetite in these areas during times of financial uncertainty.<\/p>\nStrongest rental yields in the north<\/h3>\n