A third of residential landlords will cut portfolios this year

A third of buy-to-let landlords expect to sell some of their properties this year, according to the National Residential Landlords Association. It has called on the government to make sweeping changes to the tax system if it wants to prevent the supply of rental homes from falling further. Looming and costly changes to energy efficiency standards have further encouraged some landlords to start selling up. Despite the strong demand and record rents, 30% of NRLA members said they expected to cut the size of their portfolio this year, the highest level of planned divestment in more than six years. Only 11% said they expected to add to their portfolios this year. The NRLA wants a “full review” into how the private rented sector is taxed. It has previously argued for scrapping the extra stamp duty paid on buy-to-let homes, claiming that it would lead to an extra 900,000 rental homes coming to market within a decade. The Times (£)