ALARGE majority of UK landlords refuse to be forced into selling properties as a result of the credit crunch, according to a survey among private-sector landlords by the Residential Landlords Association, whose members own over 100,000 properties throughout the UK.

Some 89 per cent are planning to hang on to their residential portfolio and only ten per cent anticipate a need to sell any of them. And 44% are planning to increase their rental properties over the next three years.

“It paints a fairly optimistic picture,”

said RLA director, Alan Ward, “but, for most self-employed people, there is often little choice faced with long-term investment and the creditcrunch.

For nearly half our members, owning and renting property is a business and to more than a quarter it is a main source of income. That means we have to take the body blows, like everyone else, and hope things improve.”

The survey shows that 40 per cent of respondents first became landlords between 1999 and 2004, although 26% have been renting out property since before 1996.

The majority (68%) own up to ten properties, 13% have between 11 and 20, 11% rent out 21-50 and five per cent operate portfolios of over 50.

Nearly half (48%) have fewer than ten tenants but nine per cent have over 50.

Nearly half (47%) began buying and renting residential property to create an alternative pension but for 27% it is a main income, with 45% regarding it as a business.

Just over half of all portfolios (51%) are worth between £500,000 and £2m and 34% are worth less than £500,000. But eight per cent are worth £2-5m, three per cent from £5-10m and two per cent are worth more than £10m.

The biggest property earners are family houses, bringing in 36% of rental income, followed by flats and apartments (26%), shared worker tenancies (11%), social security tenants (10%) and shared student houses (8%).

Landlords are fairly equal in what they regard as the biggest threats to the private rented sector. The sheer volume of buy-to-let legislation with which they need to keep up to date, the fear of corporate landlords squeezing out private investors and the possible repeal of Section 21 legislation, governing their right to evict, are slightly ahead of threats from the credit crunch and the effect of a possible government review of planning laws in student property areas.

Proposals to license all landlords (Rugg Report, November 2008) are met with enthusiasm from only 45%, slightly outnumbered by the 54% who think it is a bad idea.

“Landlords are an independentminded lot but this research shows they are still resilient to these hard times,” said Alan Ward.