Almost half of UK buy-to-let properties are now held through companies, with corporate ownership becoming the majority model among larger landlords, new data suggests.
Figures from Lendlord show that 45.1% of buy-to-let ownership was company-held in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 54.9% held privately.
The balance changes significantly as portfolio sizes increase. Among landlords with 20 or more properties, 57.6% of ownership is through companies.
By contrast, individual ownership remains dominant at the smaller end of the market. Some 67.1% of ownership among landlords with between one and three properties is private.
According to the data, company ownership overtakes private ownership once portfolios reach the 11-to-20 property bracket.
There are also significant regional differences. The North East has the highest proportion of company-owned buy-to-let property, at 53.5%.
Company ownership also exceeds private ownership in Yorkshire & Humberside and Scotland.
The findings point to an increasingly distinct divide in ownership structures across the private rented sector. Smaller landlords remain more likely to hold properties personally, while limited company structures are more prevalent among larger portfolios.
The figures are contained in Lendlord’s Q3 2026 UK BTL Market Report.
Aviram Shahar, co-founder and CEO of Lendlord, said: “Company ownership is no longer a niche structure used only at the very top of the market. 45.1% of BTL ownership is already sitting in a company, and among larger portfolios it is the majority model at 57.6%.
“That split matters. Smaller landlords still tend to hold in their own name. Larger landlords, and more of the North, have already moved into companies. Lendlord is the place for landlords to bring portfolio, mortgage and tax data together, stay on top of compliance and manage that shift with confidence.”
