One in five expat landlords intend to expand their buy-to-let portfolios in 2024/25, according to research, with the Northwest emerging as the most tempting region.

The study found more than one in three expat landlords (33%) plan to buy in the Northwest, beating the Southeast and Yorkshire & The Humber.

Regions reporting a higher proportion of buyers than sellers in the next 12 months included the East and West Midlands plus the Southwest and Northeast.

Mostly expats will release equity from existing properties to buy more rental properties, although 76% of expat landlords with more than 2 properties plan to fund purchases this way.

Expats see the value using a broker

Brokers continue to dominate the market – almost 73% of expats used a mortgage broker or intermediary to arrange their last BTL mortgage. Just a fifth went direct to a lender.

Expats with 2 to 3 properties or more were the most likely to use brokers as they have seen the benefits in the past.

This would confirm the increasing professionalisation of the expat buy to let market meaning landlords are becoming more focused and selective in where they buy properties and how they fund their purchases.

Recent rate reductions across the expat buy to let market are highlighting the opportunities to increase portfolios and profitability as well as underlining the need for expert advice from brokers particularly among landlords with bigger portfolios.

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