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The Profile of a Landlord today and Property Inventory software

According to the English Private Landlord Survey (EPLS), the private rented sector is very different to how it was even a decade ago.

The study, commissioned by the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), found that 94% of modern-day landlords are private individuals vs 5% companies and 1% a mix of the two. It also found that private landlords manage 84% of tenancies.

What does the modern-day Landlord look like?

We’re not talking about landlords sending in selfies when this study was carried out, but what the landlord demographic looks like. Individual private landlords are more likely to be male (55%) than female (44%), with the overall average age being 58, with 88% identifying as white, 4% Indian, 2% black, 1% Pakistani and 5% other.

Landlords who own one property are more likely to be female, 55%, while 44% are male. Overall, male landlords tend to have larger property portfolio sizes, owning 2 or more properties.

Portfolio sizes

Combining male and female landlords, 43% of landlords own one rental property, and 39% own between two and four rental properties; this latter represents 31% of all tenancies in England. Landlords with five or more properties make up 18% of the total, meaning almost 50% of all tenancies in England.

Perceptions of being a Landlord

The vast majority become landlords to supplement their income (including pension), and because they prefer to invest their money in property, the majority fund it with a mortgage. Almost half of all landlords (49%) don’t use an agent to manage their investment, preferring to do the job themselves on top of their day job.

Keeping up

Staying on top of the job of being a landlord can be challenging, especially if you already have a full-time job. The study found that 30% of landlords have full-time jobs, with 10% part-time, 35% retired, and 15% self-employed.

Rather than wading through masses of paperwork, landlords and any third parties they use are embracing property inventory software to help. Free inventory report software is beneficial because landlords can simply download a free app onto their iOS or Android device. They can use it as they complete inventory and inspection reports at check-in, check-out, mid-term inspections and end-of-tenancy downloadable PDF reports.

Get in touch to learn more about our free inventory report software and how it can help you manage your job as a landlord.

Dan, 19 August 2022