The number of landlords in Great Britain in 2019 came to 2.66 million, the lowest total since 2012, when 2.58 million were counted.

Hamptons International, which conducted this research, adds that the rental sector shed 222,570 landlords between 2017 and 2019, leading to there being 156,410 fewer properties on the market.

The former year – 2017 – was when the number of landlords hit its highest level, at 2.88 million.

Further data shows that the number of properties owned by the average landlord has jumped to its highest level since 2009. Then, the average number was 2.02, whereas it in 2019 it stood at 1.93.

In 2019, 30 per cent of landlords owned more than one rental property, up from the 21 per cent seen in 2016, which, Hamptons says, is when “many of the tax and regulatory changes were announced”.

Landlords in the North East of England have the largest number of properties, with the average portfolio size being 2.05. This is followed by Yorkshire and the Humber landlords, who can count an average of 2.03 under their purview, and then London landlords, who have an average of 2.01 each.

Scottish landlords have the smallest portfolio size, with an average of 1.83 properties each.

The research also shows that rental growth was strongest in the South west, with the average rent moving from £784 per month to £831 – 6 per cent – from January 2019 to January 2020.

The lowest growth was seen in Wales, at 1.2 per cent – from £652 to £659 per month. In all of Great Britain, rent grew by 3.6 per cent, from an average of £963 a month to £998.