Very robust market:

The buy-to-let sector has taken a bit of a hammering in recent years, what with the stamp duty surcharge and scrapping of tax relief, the latter of which came into effect at the start of the new tax year, April 2017. However, this doesn't seem to have put off landlords to any extent: experienced landlords still have an average of 13 properties each, with a typical loan-to-value (LTV) of just 35%, so it's clear that buy-to-let could still pay off.

That's according to recent research, which found that the average investment portfolio among experienced residential landlords stood at 13 properties during the first three months of this year.

Meanwhile, the average LTV continues to fall, declining by 2% compared with the previous three-month period to stand at just 37%, down from 42% five years ago. Indeed, 64% of landlords now have buy-to-let mortgages of less than half the value of their portfolios, hinting at the profitability many landlords are experiencing.

Not only that, but landlords spend an average of 30% of their rental income on mortgage payments, with 46% saying they spend less than a quarter, so the value of mortgages is easily covered by most rental agreements.

There are concerns that the raft of changes impacting the sector could take their toll in the years ahead. Thus, the supply of available rental homes could reduce, and in turn, rents could rise even further.

This could make it even more difficult for would-be buyers to take that first step, but it also highlights the need for landlords themselves to take the necessary precautions – and finding the right buy-to-let mortgage will be key.

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