Landlords now spend an average of 31 hours per month managing their rental properties, equivalent to almost four working days, Pegasus Insight reveals.
Data found that for landlords with 11 or more properties, the time commitment rises sharply to 78 hours per month, or almost 10 working days.
While 57% of properties use some form of letting agent service, reported time commitments are broadly similar regardless of whether landlords use an agent.
Pegasus suggests that oversight, compliance, property upkeep and financial management remain firmly with the property owner.
Time invested is highest among those with buy-to-let mortgages, HMO holdings and larger portfolios, reflecting the additional complexity associated with scale and structured borrowing.
Meanwhile, on average, landlords estimate that around 23% to 24% of their gross rental income is absorbed by running and maintenance costs, underlining the dual time and cash burden of portfolio management.
Pegasus Insight managing director and founder Mark Long says: “There is often a perception that letting property is a relatively passive activity, that landlords just sit back and let the cash roll in.”
“But the data tells a different story. For many landlords, particularly those operating at scale, portfolio management represents a significant monthly time commitment.”]
“As regulatory and operational requirements have increased, so too has the administrative and compliance workload. Larger landlords, those whose properties are financed using a mortgage and those operating HMOs are naturally exposed to greater complexity, and that is reflected in the hours they invest.”
