Since the start of 2006, women have bought over 24% of all buy-to-let property sold which is a significant increase over previous years - 20% (2005), 22% (2004) and 21% (2003).
The research also revealed that landladies, who took out 44,760 buy-to-let mortgages last year, were more cautious than their male counterparts, putting down a larger deposit (female: 24% - male: 20%) and therefore reducing their monthly payments.
However, female property investors did pay more for their average property (female: £142,000 - male: £120,739), perhaps indicating that they preferred to purchase properties in rentable condition rather than undertake extensive renovations.
On a regional basis, the South East, London and the North West have consistently boasted the highest number of landladies since 2004. However, the number of female property investors in the capital appears to be declining, possibly in reaction to the sky-high property prices.
Lee Grandin, Managing Director of Landlord Mortgages, comments, "It is great to see that the number of landladies is steadily increasing as more and more women realise the investment opportunities offered by residential property. It is also interesting to note that when it comes to financing, female property investors appear to be more cautious than their male counterparts - realising that a larger deposit means smaller monthly payments and less stress.
"However, I don't believe that these figures capture the true extent of female involvement in the residential property market. We know that almost 40% of property investors purchase and manage their portfolio as a married couple so I'm sure there are many more landladies than this research shows."
