Homeowners in London are clearly eying the substantial capital gains made on properties in the city over the last few years, as 72% said they would become landlords if they could afford it.
Homeowners in Scotland were the least interested in becoming landlords.
Mark Howell, director of marketing & customer management, Bank of Ireland UK mortgages, said: “In this the fifth wave of our quarterly survey we can see that buy-to-let continues to be popular among homeowners and landlords alike.
“Unsurprisingly the index score for London has increased in the last year as investors look for the assured returns the capital is seen to provide.
“With the recent pension freedoms many investors are taking personal responsibility for their finances and are turning to familiar investment vehicles such as buy-to-let. We expect this trend to continue.”
The research also claimed that since pensions freedoms were introduced and the government raised inheritance tax homeowners are 20% and 22% more likely to become buy-to-let landlords.
