More than eight in 10 landlords plan to increase rents over the next year, according to a survey from Landbay.

The lender’s Q3 survey of more than 2,000 landlords found 83% expect to raise rents, up from more than 75% in its previous survey.

The largest proportion, at 38%, plan to increase rents in line with inflation, while 20% expect rises of between inflation and 7%.

A further 10% plan increases below inflation and around 15% expect to raise rents by 7% or more.

The survey also revealed that 39% of landlords expect to sell at least one property over the next 12 months, while 43% have no plans to sell and 18% were undecided.

Landbay found that nearly six in 10 landlords are planning to refinance in the next year, with 38% expecting to take a new product with their existing lender.

A further 21% expect to remortgage to a different lender, while just over a quarter remain undecided.

Two and three year fixed rates are the most popular option, selected by 46% of landlords.

Five-year fixes were preferred by 41%, while 10% said they would choose a variable-rate or tracker mortgage.

Confidence in landlords’ own buy-to-let businesses also improved, with 28% expressing a positive view, up from 22% in the previous survey.

However, the proportion expressing a negative view of their own businesses also increased, from 37% to 40%.

Landbay sales and distribution director Rob Stanton says: “What comes through from these latest results is that landlords remain very much committed to the buy-to-let sector, even if confidence and investment intentions vary depending on individual circumstances.

“It is encouraging to see an increase in those feeling positive about their own businesses, while more than a third still intend to purchase additional properties over the next year.

“Of course, these responses were gathered before last week’s Budget, which has introduced a further increase in the tax on property income for landlords holding properties in their personal names, and it will be interesting to see whether this changes investment intentions or confidence levels as we move into 2027.

“One area which really stands out is the importance of remortgaging and product transfers, with almost six in 10 respondents expecting to take one of these routes when their existing deal ends, while a further quarter have yet to make a decision.

“This represents a considerable opportunity for advisers over the next six to 12 months.”