Data from insurance comparison provider Quotezone.co.uk shows a 41% drop in first time buy-to-let landlords in London during 2020 when compared to 2019.
It points out that this decrease is in direct opposition to the rest of the country, which has seen first-time landlords spike as high as 62%.
Greg Wilson, CEO of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “Alongside the recent news that almost 700,000 Londoners have moved out of the city due to the pandemic, our data shows a 41% drop for first-time buy-to-let landlords in London in 2020 compared with 2019. This contrasts with the rest of the UK, with almost every other region showing a year-on-year increase, which could be to do with buyers taking advantage of the Government’s Stamp Duty holiday.
“While COVID has created a temporary shopping spree within the housing market, I fear this temporary boost in sales may be short-lived as the economic aftermath of the pandemic is yet to be revealed and the Stamp Duty holiday is due to expire at the end of June. The region-specific data showing a decline in London could be the first signs of COVID-19’s true impact on the city’s property market and a potentially stark warning for the rest of the UK.
“However, while there has been a huge drop in demand for London properties, rental properties haven’t gone untouched by the crisis with many tenants on furlough or facing redundancies and social distancing creating physical barriers to the properties making routine maintenance and repairs difficult. It is perhaps more important than ever to ensure landlord insurance policies are thorough, accurate and up to date so that landlords are fully protected should a claim be needed.”
Regional statistics from Quotezone.co.uk
| Region | % change |
| Yorkshire | 61.90% |
| North East | 34.29% |
| South East | 50.75% |
| London | -40.63% |
| South West | 27.87% |
| North West | 50.00% |